Melissa Jean Rod, born October 30, 1968, in Channelview, Texas is the oldest daughter of a gaggle of girls. She grew up in Cut and Shoot, Texas and only ventured outside of the state once for a brief stint as Mary Poppins, more commonly referred to as a nanny, in Potomac, Maryland.

She is married and mother of six, a mixture of step, birth and adopted. There are currently two daughters in love and two adorable grandsons. She loves the Lord and knows that he is always there with her, walking through life by her side.

She is addicted to reading and loves to travel. Her kids give her a hard time about the quantity of sunset pictures she takes but that doesn’t stop her from taking hundreds of them from her back porch.

She enjoyed creative writing in high school and as an adult people have frequently told her she should write a book. After attending a hope*conference she decided now was the time to share her hard story and give someone else a shot of hope that they too can withstand whatever they may be struggling through, that there is someone else out there who understands.