Who is Jamie?

My name is Jamie, and I am the author and creator of Joy with Jamie. I am a single mother of two boys, a teacher, a cancer survivor, animal lover, and most importantly, a child of God. But… I am so far from perfect, it is ridiculous. No holier than though stuff here. I have grown a lot through the years though, and I am on a path to being the best me I can be this side of Heaven.

I am one of those transparent people who will tell you way more than you want to know about myself on our first meeting. One of my brothers, I have two, is not a fan of this at all. Hi, Chris! Yep. I am laughing right now. It’s my job as his older sister to make him mad. Right? Anyway, I am going to use my life experiences, good and bad, to do anything I can to help you find joy in yours. I am not ashamed, and I genuinely want to help.

Despite having been selected to go through many of the options on life’s major trials and tribulations menu (abuse, divorce, the loss of a parent, a broken engagement, cancer and more), I honestly consider myself very blessed. I am always looking for the good. I find joy each day, despite my circumstances. I have become an expert of sorts at it. Life has given me a lot of practice over my 49 years on Earth.

I have two boys, Chase and Connor, and I love them with all my heart. They forever change my life in so many wonderful ways. Chase is off to college in the fall, and Connor is going into eleventh grade. I have made a few missteps while raising them, and we will definitely talk about that, but I focused on their hearts, showing them unconditional love, caring about what they cared about, and so far, that has paid off.

In addition to my children, who I do lovingly refer to as free range, I also love actual animals. I have four guinea pigs, four dogs, and six cats. I am looking forward to sharing them with you. And if you are interested in guinea pigs, you’ll definitely enjoy being here at Joy with Jamie. I am planning to educate and entertain you with the help of Emma, Coco, Kermit, and Turtle.

I absolutely love to write about anything and everything, but mostly my life. I thought having a website where I can do just that would be perfect for me. I toyed around with the idea of writing a book, and I may someday, but I thought a blog would be way more fun to start. But let me tell you, building a website when you are not a tech person, it is not for the faint of heart. So, please excuse any poor layout, crazy coding, or other website faux pas. It’s a work in progress.

As for love, I have found it again. I was divorced after 26 years with my husband, and the loss of my marriage almost killed me. I fought so hard to save it, but in the end, at the eleventh hour, he did not come home. But God had plans to help me rise from the ashes. After being single for two years, I met Jubal. Jubal and Jamie sitting in a tree. K… I… S… S… I… N… G. OK. You found me out. I’m about sixteen in my head. You will definitely be hearing more about Jubal, Philosopher Unknown, in the days to come.

I really am so very glad you are here with me, and I am looking forward to doing life with you. Let’s look for the good, reflect the light, and find joy… Together.

Jamie