Been There Voices

Esperanza, goddess of hope

Stories. Life stories. Life stories from real women leading real lives.

It's easy to be in awe of the exceptional ... the stars, the Olympic champions, the people who make sweet lemonade from life's bitter catastrophes. However, those stories come with a tendency to think those people ... the stars ... walk on a different plane, were given gifts not available to us mere mortals. It is easy to discount their stories and lessons as unrelated to us and our specific journeys.

And yet, anyone who has lived into their sixth decade and beyond has faced the dragon ... probably many dragons ... and survived. The intent of this project is to provide space for those stories; stories which can help all of us recognize our own strengths, our own wisdom, the uniqueness of our own journeys.

Been There Voices is about us, our lives, our successes and failures, our joys and sorrows, our lessons and our gradual, hard-won wisdom. We have survived and thrived throughout whatever has come our way.

The reasons are arbitrary and not intended to dismiss half of our population, however, this project focuses on the stories of women.

This project begins with ten women, well-polished grains of sand on the beach of life, tumbled by the waves of time until their light shines through, offering their stories, joys and sorrows, to the ocean of wisdom.

Anita Perez Ferguson, Santa Barbara, CA, young adult historic fiction author

Barbara Gaughen-Muller, Santa Barbara, CA, peace podcaster and life enthusiast

Becky Ripley, Columbia, MD, lover of life and card making

Cynthia Carlisle, Austin, TX, lover of laughter and learning

Dolores Forsythe, Coronado, CA, jewelry designer

Fran Dummett, Ellicott City, MD, positive spirit for inner growth

Joyce Wycoff, Julian, CA, collector of the wonders of nature and art

Lynne Snead, Punta Gorda, FL, life coach and gratitude enthusiast

Ruth Ann Hattori, Fredericksburg, TX, ideas unlimited entrepreneur

Susan Larson, Ajijic, Jalisco, MX, explorer of the edges

Click names for more information.

To read the offerings of each, enter her name in the search bar on the right column of the blog.

Invitation to Join Us!

Please add your own voice and stories by commenting on the stories offered here.

If you would like to be a regular contributor, please email Joyce Wycoff at jwycoff at me dot com.