Barb Shepherd - From the Heart

Whatever we're trying to accomplish in the world, whether it's learning Spanish, promoting recycling or healing an argument with a friend, it happens first in the heart.

You can't legislate change in the world, and you can't force change with guns or fear. You have to win it in the hearts of individuals.

I write From the Heart. I might write about anything, from personal experience, to municipal policymaking or national issues, but I write about it from my heart to your heart, because that's where it matters.

I grew up in Indiana. My dad was a metallurgist who made straight-As in college and went on to manage in a foundry owned by Union Carbide. My mom was a housewife and Red Cross volunteer who didn't hesitate to whip out some tools and fix the plumbing. We always had a garden, with vegetables, fruit trees and beautiful flowers.

My parents were capable, smart people, not given to complaining about their lot. I grew up understanding that any limitations on what I would do with my life could come only from me.

As a young girl, I read Nancy Drew, and could imagine no obstacle to keep me from following in her footsteps, solving problems for people and making their lives better. But when I got a little older and started reading newspapers, it was Paul Harvey who captured my heart. From his column in our local newspaper, I learned the power of the pen to change the world.

I owned my first business at the age of 18. When my husband, Jeff, and I moved to Florida five years later, I was hired at the DeLand Sun News. By 1989, we had two little girls, and I left the Sun News and free lanced for the Orlando Sentinel, oftentimes with the girls beneath my desk as I wrote stories in the Sentinel's DeLand office.

In 1992, we started The DeLand-Deltona Beacon and, thanks to the dedication and talent of our wonderful team and the support of readers like you, the newspaper has grown phenomenally and done a lot of good in West Volusia over the years.

My heart is full of gratitude for my family, my career, and this fantastic community. And for the opportunity to converse with you about issues we all face, in From the Heart.