I've always found writing my thoughts down very therapeutic and from a young age I discovered that I would often automatically write in rhyme.
I didn't find the courage to share my writing with anyone until, at High School when I was 15, our English Teacher asked us to write a poem about 'Sight'. It was very poignant as my Mum had recently been diagnosed with a disease that would gradually rob her of her sight, so I wrote from my heart. When our teacher said she had "a particularly beautiful poem that had been handed in and wanted to read it to the class", I was amazed when it was mine!
As life became busier with work, marriage, and so on, I found that it was at the saddest times of my life that I would feel compelled to put pen to paper. When I devastatingly miscarried our first much-wanted, long-awaited baby, I took some comfort from writing poems for her and then when our incredibly precious son arrived I was able to see the world through the eyes of a child again and wanted to convey the magic around us in my writing.
In 2010 I trained to be a Reiki Healing Practitioner and, in order to get to know the others in the class better, we were asked to tell a little about ourself and our interests. I mentioned that I wrote poetry and though I was reluctant at first, I was persuaded to share some with the group. The teachings I received from the course gave me more confidence and self-belief, things I had been distinctly lacking, and helped me to regain a sense of inner peace which was then reflected in the type of things I wrote about.
I wrote the poems in this collection over a period of more than four years - from 25 January 2012 (Before your life is through) to 22 June 2016 (Survive and thrive together).
In March 2013, I went to bed one night feeling absolutely fine and awoke the next morning barely able to move, with no feeling at all in my right arm. I spent a few months in absolute agony, unable to use my hands, I wasn't able to do much for myself and could hardly walk before I was eventually diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Treatment began easing things a little but the following year I was dealt a second blow when I was told that I also have Scleroderma, a rare disease for which there is currently no cure. I decided then that I couldn't give up. I had to fight all the way. I wanted to help raise awareness and use my experiences to help others who are encountering hardships to understand that our mind is a powerful tool and whatever life brings, we can choose not to dwell on the negatives and find something positive to focus on. The illnesses reduced my physical capacity profoundly. They can often be life-limiting and drastically reduce life expectancy. I have chosen to let them give me a new perspective on life - how we have to cherish everybody and every moment while we still can.
If, through my words, I can encourage even just one other person to connect more deeply with life's riches, and develop new optimism, my life won't have been in vain. I have selected the poems for this collection specifically because I have a passionate wish to help others to benefit from the very precious help and guidance I have received.
