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kem330
  Bronze Member

I am a determined woman, a mother of two, a grandmother to 4 amazing boys, a sister, aunt, niece, and friend to those whose path crosses with mine. I have been through many trials and tribulations in my life that have been all but easy to overcome, yet I have refused to give up hope and have remained determined to heal and to grow from my life's experiences. I have learned that we learn the most valuable lessons from our most difficult times in life should we choose to embrace the lesson and use it for positive change and growth. Poetry has been my therapy and my respite that has helped me through some very difficult and painful times...like the brutal murder of my mother in her own home during a robbery attempt. A woman I loved dearly and who was my very best friend. Or my most recent traumatic event with a sudden ruptured brain aneurysm that led me into a hemorrhagic stroke. During emergency brain surgery, 5 additional unruptured aneurysms were discovered which resulted in a transfer to UCSF and six fully open brain surgeries in a very short time. Each surgery lasted between 10 and 14 hours. Yet I refuse to let life's traumas break me and choose to instead let it strengthen me while counting my blessings knowing that I have survived far beyond what so many do not. I choose to be a survivor and not a victim. My desire is to encourage and inspire others who are suffering similar circumstances or who are going through some form of trauma or pain of their own and to let them know it is possible to overcome and use that pain to grow and see the beauty of life and how far we have come. I attribute so much to the power that comes from poetry writing. Poetry has been the tool that has gotten me through my most painful and difficult times in life. Poetry has helped me find the light to free myself from the very dark places I found myself trapped in. I also use my poetry writings as a tool I can go back and reflect upon to see just how far I have come. It provide