Mark & Charlie

One day, overwhelmed with guilt after eating the last piece of cheesecake, I found myself desperately searching for the perfect explanation of how the last piece fo cheesecake had “mysteriously” disappeared. Earlier that day as I was painting the kitchen I’d noticed a small hole in the baseboard. After painting a little house around the whole with the name “Charlie” above, I created an endearing story to accompany my artwork and, Voila!, my new friend and alibi “Charlie the mouse” was born.

Surprisingly, despite the unbelievability of my story, Charlie was “welcomed” into our home and even cherished! “You are such and adorable dork!” she had said. Wow – she wasn’t mad at me! From that day on Charlie and I could indulge in our favorite foods to our hearts’, and stomachs’, content. I soon learned, however, that my little “story” seemed to go both ways as I quickly discovered that Charlie was beating me to some of my favorite snacks! He became a beloved part of our happy family. We talked so much about Charlie that he became very real-or was he just my alter ego?!

Charlie’s Thinking Cheese was written to reflect my faith in humanity and my belief that everything in life is an opportunity. Every time something goes wrong (or not the way I expect) there is a valuable gift to receive or lesson to learn. What might seem like our moment of despair may in fact be a great gift from the Universe if we just remain open enough to receive it. I hope this book touches the lives and warms the hearts of all who read it.