Poetry is a great medicine...

Families are unique, no two are the same !

Mine,  well mine is definitely unusual and unconventional.  Yet while I was growing up, I felt my family was the best!  I have a wonderful childhood and a loving family around me.

However, once I grew up and had a family of my own, I realised that my childhood family had not been as good as I thought it was.  This was really brought home to me when my father died. 

My siblings couldn`t co-operate with each other, there were arguments, disagreements and even fear !  Yes, I couldn`t believe there was fear !!

My father`s estate, who was going to have things in the house.  The funeral was stressful too. Not everyone turned up, but I was able to write a poem and read it at the funeral.

Throughout all this, my poetry has kept me going. Expressing my feelings helped me to cope with my emotions and all that was going on around me. I wrote poems that I couldn`t share with anyone, but they kept me sane (so to speak)

My experiences have made me more determined to help others who are going through or have been through a bereavement. Poetry is a wonderful way to express your inner emotions, the act of putting your feeling down onto paper enables you to see exactly what you are going through and how you feel.

Now that everything is over and my fathers estate is settled, I feel relief.  I can put this all behind me and start afresh.  Concentrate on my children and their future.

So if you find yourself stressed, sad, angry or depressed or even experience a bereavement, always remember that writing you emotions and experiences down on paper can really help you. Poetry is a great medicine !!

Lissie x