[APPRECIATION]Dear Readers, I aspired to be a writer for a significant portion of my life.It began when I was a young child. When I first started writing, I began to realize the power of words. I can recall those early days. From sonnets to brief tales, I started to string words together, making my craft gradually Even then, I realized how deeply words could connect with other people's experiences and how validating that could be.I began to write more as I got older. I wrote poetry and short stories in journal after journal. I spent every spare moment jotting down my thoughts on napkins and torn notebook pages. I was courageous in offering my work to other people, and it seemed like I could write constantly.The shift started in college. I had little time for anything other than studying and working full-time as a college student. My writing ceased gradually. I switched from undergraduate to graduate school and increased my work responsibilities.I wed someone. I had a family. Beca