Joan Hyams Schmitz writes to offer food for thought to anyone willing to read her stories. Much of her material was acquired at the School of Hard Knocks, where she maintains a front row seat. Life has tossed her more than a fair share of lemons, which resulted in many batches of lemonade. Joan has always been fascinated with the human mind, leading to both a degree in psychology and a lifetime of reading, self-reflection, neuroses-dissection, spiritual exploration, and countless hours spent on a counselor's couch. Her hard-won insights and wisdom gained via age, coupled with German genes and the roar of Leo the Lion have enabled Joan to remain vertical when life has attempted to knock her down. Multiple times. This is her debut as an author. She never thought she had the patience to write a book. She proved herself wrong.