September 11, 2001 gave me a chance to think of many things. One of the interesting things we all saw was how there seemed to be heroes everywhere. People stood up and stood tall in so many ways ... there seemed to be people who were bigger than life all around us. People were even willing to give their lives for the safety of others. It gave me hope and it made me stand taller and it helped me smile even while my heart hurt for the loss of so many innocent lives.

Though the world would never be the same, life went on. My birthday came, and I got a cute card from a caring friend. There was a picture of an angel mouse on the front of it. It made me smile. My thoughts about heroes and mice somehow melted together in my brain, and all of a sudden another mouse came to mind ... Mighty Mouse. And I smiled once again. We could have used Mighty Mouse on 9-11. Our military men and women could use Mighty Mouse while they fight the war on terrorism now.

And then it happened ... as it so commonly does in creative minds. I knew what I needed to sculpt--Liberty Mouse! We could use a mouse like that ... and so, another heroine was born. She fights for freedom and for the American way of life, dressed in red, white and blue, and holding her torch of freedom high for all to see. She will light the way! I can imagine her flying all around the nation finding hidden cells of terrorists and taking care of them with the help of her friend, Mighty Mouse. What a team they could be ... two little mice with lots of power and heart. And so, Liberty Mouse came into being ... and once again I smiled. I hope she makes you smile too.