My name is Cathy Corrier; Cat Corrier as I preferred to be called, although almost never am. At this writing, I am 59 years old, widowed, and work full time in the medical field. I am the mother of four grown children (two daughters, a son, and a son by marriage). My daughters completed my joy with the birth of their three children.  Yes, that makes me a grandmother.

My interest in writing began after reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I fell in love with her style of writing and decided I needed to begin to chronicle my life story.  Below is the first paragraph I wrote some 6 years ago.

My name is Cathy Rhea. I was born in Knoxville, TN on June 3, 1956. In all reality, my life has been anything but extraordinary, headline making, People magazine worthy of telling. But it’s MY story, and I feel compelled to tell it. My husband, Michael, has made it clear to me that upon his death he does not want the traditional casket, he simply wants to be cremated.

I, in turn, have made it clear to him that I want the casket, I want a burial sport, and something inside of me needs a headstone. Maybe I want this because somewhere in my soul I need to feel like I’ve made an impression on this earth, even if it is literally the compacted soil underneath my headstone. Or maybe, just maybe, this story will be what I can leave behind when my life here on earth is over.

That was 2008.

Much has changed since then, including the unexpected death of my beloved husband, and my reconsideration of feeling the need for a burial spot.  But the need to leave a part of me behind has not changed. I want my children to know more about me than I knew about my own parents. It’s only after both of my parents passed away, did I realize how very little I actually knew about them. It is my intention that by the time I leave this earth, they know me on a deeper level. Not just as a Mother, or Nana, but as a person that has loved, lost, taken and given.

So why a blog instead of just letters to my children? Because I get joy from sharing my stories. I gain confidence as a writer when getting feedback.  Knowing that I am going to share my life with others keeps me thinking, it challenges my brain, and most of all it makes me strive to write with courage. ‘Cause I gotta tell you, it takes some guts to put yourself out there.. exploring and exposing the good, the bad, and the ugly about oneself.

Wish me luck!

CatCorrier