About Me

About me…  For starters, I proudly wear the crown in being Grammy Tammy. I was graced with a princess granddaughter after raising, and surviving, rambunctious sons.  All I knew besides being knee deep in stinky socks, baseballs and Tonka trucks, were starving boys and enamored, pestering girls.  Now a whole new world of tiaras and tutus and bright pink manicures-pedicures enriches each day along with giggles and princess kisses.

On a more serious note, I am a beach girl raised in good ‘ole Southern California.  When I’m traveling abound and running through airports, I am often asked if I was raised in the south due to my Tammy Flare.  I jokingly reply, “Well, you could say so.  I grew up in beautiful San Diego County.  That is in the south, you know!” 

I am living each day as a treasured daughter who has embraced God’s grace, determined to leave a legacy of love through the realm of advocacy. Being a “Voice” for those who have lost theirs through the imprisonment of abuse and addiction, along with suffering from great trauma and violence, is an honor to glorify my Beautiful Jesus.

My motto and the way I see it is:  There is no shame in our game; Jesus is His name!

Because the Lord turned my ashes (pain) into beauty, after 20 years working in the law profession combined with another seven years serving as a chaplain, obviously attending the law enforcement chaplaincy academy wasn’t enough academia, the Lord called me back to school.  College life is hard enough for a 20-year-old, much less a woman in her Fabulous 50s.

I am proud to say I graduated Magna Cum Laude and am a lifetime honorary scholastic member of Alpha Lambda Delta while accomplishing my Bachelor’s of Science in Religion, with a minor in church ministries.  But… and I preface it with a big BUT… I am forever working on my Master’s of Divinity.  Some day!  I’m Grammy Tammy; doing everything backwards! 

I know all too well the life application meaning of Philippians 4:13 at its finest:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  So hard, but so rewarding!

You will find quite often that I refer to myself as being “high maintenance” in my writings.  This “high maintenance” tag is just another lucid term I use to describe my pathetic Tammy Tantrum fits. Seeing a near six-foot-tall woman pout and cry hysterically explains my extreme need for time with my Lord. 

I love my Jesus and when I find His radiance has taken a backseat to the cast-iron horns emerging from my head while flaming arrows are spewing out of my mouth (quite the visualization, huh?), initiating a meltdown consisting of toddler tantrums, I realize rather quickly my great need for my Goditude time; solitude time with my Papa God.

Since I’ve been an advocate for those without a voice due to trauma and abuse, creating addictions and depression (all of which I have walked through myself), I understand the hurt, the loss and sorrow of a bleeding heart. I want to share with other Beloveds my story with a twist: Being an Advocate for the Word instead! 

One great reason why I served on Folsom State Prison’s Inmate Family Council; everyone deserves to be loved and supported!

We can all have many degrees, licenses and certifications too numerous to count and list, but my heart’s desire is to introduce God’s Great Love to everyone I encounter. If we could only understand that hurt people hurt others, we would be able to leave room for the concept that healed people heal also! 

When you’ve become healed and transformed from a life filled with trauma and violence (yes, I’m a survivor of violent crimes), your engagement with others becomes an honor as you sojourn this side of heaven present.  Being able to lean into the very heartbeat of Jesus experiencing His heart and soul (mission) allows you to pour into others and speak words of life over them paving the way towards healing.

How does one circle back through that trauma to organizing a nonprofit that served our homeless population for almost three years and then transitioned into the lives of our incarcerated with all the darkness and danger?

Well, as Mother Theresa said, “I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord Himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?”

Hence, where the concept of “A Beautiful You” came from.

That’s why I organized Blameless and Forever Free Ministries; it is built upon understanding that many of our incarcerated have suffered great trauma and violence themselves which doesn’t get addressed. We operate as Advocates and Ambassadors of Hope for restorative justice. 

Restorative justice is responding to crime and violence in a way that transforms the focus through A.R.T.:  Shifting punishment to responsibility (Accountability), leaning into rehabilitation and restoration (Reintegration), leading to redemption (Transformation). 

We believe all of mankind is created in God’s image; therefore, we are God’s masterpiece, His works of ART!

The greatest gift I pray you take away is how much God loves you.  He loves it when we take the time to open up His Word and snuggle in tight learning about His nature, goodness and sovereignty.  He wants to pour healing into our hearts by speaking affirmations and truths. Cleaving and pressing into the Lord escorts us into the presence of what it’s like to be truly loved!  The worth and value is overwhelming; be-loved and be-valued and be-healed!

Until next time…