After traveling the nation for over 30 years in the music industry as an award-winning singer/songwriter and achieving numerous recognitions, such as the 1993 Country Gospel Music Female Vocalist of the Year Award and my first number one song, "Mama Prays," I found contentment in making and playing music for any audience willing to listen.
 

Then came the tragic events of 9/11, which changed the music industry as we knew it. I recall my husband Mike saying, "Honey, we couldn't book a date even if we paid them to come and sing." Touring would take time to return to normal. In the meantime, being at home in Smith County, Tennessee, was a welcomed change. It opened up opportunities to build relationships within our community. In a few years, our son would marry, and they would bless us with our first grandson.
 

It wasn't long after that a respected local leader asked if I had ever considered running for a political office. My immediate response was, "Absolutely not." I love my country, get teary-eyed singing The National Anthem, and wonder about the world my grandchildren will grow up in. But seeking a political seat had never crossed my mind. The question prompted me to pray about such an assignment, and the rest, as they say, is history.
 

The next 16 years were dedicated to serving the "Folks of the Fortieth" in the State House of Tennessee. It was an opportunity I am grateful to God for and to those who trusted me to represent them for seven terms from 2008 through 2022.
 

Today, it seems my life has come full circle. Returning to local acoustic performances requires me to spend quality time picking up my guitar and learning new, old songs. I am also working to add another accomplishment to my resume—authorship. I have begun the lengthy process of writing a book about my father and his family, who fled communism in Yugoslavia during WWII. This story has been developing within me for quite some time. Now, at this stage in my life, I can take my pen, my paper, my words, and my willingness to create within the pages of my story a theme that connects us all together and means something.
 

Like writing a song, writing this book gives me another voice to remember my family's history. The story of past survival, separation, starvation, and homelessness, even while the whole world was on fire, testifies to the determination and fortitude of heart that brought the sights of Lady Liberty to their new-found country.