Brenda's Story

Sister Mary Verda, my first grade teacher, had a profound affect on me as I learned my ABC’s and the Catholic catechism. And as most of us experienced in our early, informative years, I was asked the universal question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Well, I am still evolving into that person. I always knew that words would play into the grand scheme somehow. A few years after first grade I began to blossom into a writer. Centerpoint has helped me to clarify and refine my definition of Brenda the Writer.

The first words in an article, poem, or book can be daunting. The last words on that first draft can be just as formidable. Staring at a blank sheet of paper or computer screen is a little like looking up into the night sky and realizing just how insignificant we are in the scheme of things. There are times we may need a kick-start to clear our minds of the element that stops us cold along the path we take in our lives—Fear. Fear of failure. Or maybe even fear of success. It wasn’t until I stared long enough at a manuscript that had gone cold and dusty in my study that I decided to take a class at Centerpoint. The odd part of the whole thing was that I had no expectations that a class, or any type of encouragement, would help me out of my apathy.

I first heard of Centerpoint when my sister, Rhonda Brown decided to go to a Centerpoint Retreat. For months, it was all she talked about. I knew there was something magical when I met Carol Vecchio. But it took a while before I enrolled in Getting Unstuck™. Through the weeks, a small group of us talked, processed, created, and tried to understand what prevented us from moving forward. The class introduced me to Miriam, a friend who remains involved in my life and my writings to this day. I could not say that I understand the fundamentals of getting unstuck, but weeks after the class ended my life began to flourish. My writing came together and within a matter of months my book was finished. Whether the product ever goes to publishing isn’t as important as finishing it. And maybe the question of what I want to be when I grow up is important enough to ask with each dawning day. The growing never stops. And Centerpoint is a tool in the process of growth that is applicable to everyone’s life.