My mom used to tell me when I was younger that I should journal my thoughts. I didn't understand why until I had my own family. She felt I had a lot to say, and a sarcastic way of saying it. She told me, "Donna, you have a smart aleck wit that should be jotted down."  I think I just try to find the humor in things because sometimes all you can do is laugh. And sometimes people do things that you are morally obligated to laugh at  because you cannot believe they have proved Darwin's survival of the fittest theory wrong.

A few friends of mine started writing blogs and I love reading what they think about, how they observe things, and what their opinions are on subjects. Lets face it, each of us observes things differently. Sometimes getting a different perspective is all we need to continue on our journey with a new outlook.

When a  couple of my friends asked me to write a guest piece for their blog HallelujahHighway.com. I was both honored and intimidated. I mean, my friends are English teachers. Do you have any idea the amount of pressure I feel even when I'm just posting a comment on their Facebook pages? I am notorious for throwing commas, ellipses, and semi-colons where they don't belong. But I wrote it, and since then I have wanted to start doing my own blog. I think that every person has experiences to share. Sometimes I read something someone else wrote and I think wow, they must have been in my head. There are some people who can express what I am thinking but can't find the words to articulate it myself. One of my friends who blogs brings me to tears almost every time I read her writings when she talks from the heart about her father, his illness, and her family love. This is one of my inspirations for wanting to share my experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

I decided to write about  the idea of hope. As an advocate for human rights this is important to me.You can read it  here.  I'm not a writer; I hold no degree in English. I simply like the idea of sharing some of my journey with people. I'm a mom of four, and while I tell people I'm in my twenties the reality is I am also a grandma of four. We have one daughter who still lives at  home with us. Her father and I know the road ahead of us  and we are ready for it.  I love sports, especially hockey (Go Kings Go) and football (Da Bears). I volunteer at a rape center, and my previous volunteer work was as an online decoy for an internet group who battled pedophilia. I believe in fighting for those who can't fight for themselves, and I believe in giving my all for He who asked me to do just that.

I call my blog mercifulhope because when I least deserved mercy, that is exactly what I received. And when I couldn't see past the pain, I was shown hope. I believe we all experience this many times over in our lives, whether we recognize it or not.

So this is my introduction. My hope is that you'll want to join me in this blogging journey of mine. I hope that something I say makes you laugh, tugs at your heart, opens your eyes, or  makes you think "Wow! How the hell did she know what I was thinking?"