Every Inchie Monday.....Sweet....

I realize how much a nickname can remain in one's growth and spirit. When I was ten years old or there about...my nickname was Mary Helen ....watermelon...a name most girls would not appreciate and since I was the tallest girl in my family....I felt like a freak. For decades I refused to even taste much less eat watermelon but with time comes the realization that the only one I was hurting was ME! NOW I love the moist, sweet taste of a ripe watermelon and I try to make up for all those years I was a wee bit stubborn. I absolutely love watermelon now and know it is so good for me inside and out! My "sweet" inspiration is an Inchie that celebrates watermelons for the rest of my life!

Happy Independence Day to all who serve and protect our beloved country. I am watching Nightline on ABC with a special on a very courageous Marine named Joey Jones who has lost his legs but not his life. He demonstrates a long journey in serving his country and now works in Bethesda visiting Marines who are learning to survive their injuries. Walking tall and going places in a new chapter of his life....dedicated to making a life for his fiancee and young son. This is a real authentic Hero living and breathing to make each day count and better for us all. God bless all the men and women who have and are serving to protect our freedoms.

I am working on processing a young woman Natasha Wortman who lives here in Newark and i s a Black hawk Pilot serving in Afghanistan.... another courageous spirit. i stopped by her parents tonight to photograph her at home and trace the outline of her hands but they were out celebrating with fireworks. Tomorrow I will share this young heroine's story later as she enters my continued "Women's Work" exhibit. God Bless America. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart