The Countdown!
I can hardly contain my excitement! We are officially 5 days away from the launch/publishing of If Tears Could Talk. I’ve received so much love ever since I made my announcement three weeks ago. It warms me up inside and I cannot thank everyone enough for the outpouring of support.
As of right now, my book will be available for purchase through online purchasing only. However, I am still working out the possibility of getting up to 50 copies (to start) available for in-person purchase as I know not everyone may have access to online purchasing. This is an option that will most likely be available sometime in July. I will keep you posted ;)
Follow my social media stories throughout this week for final information regarding purchasing.
Snapchat: grinerfanatic42
Balance
I adventured out into the Garden of the Gods with some friends from college during our Girls Trip. We came across this marvel of sandstone called “Balanced Rock.” It stands 35 feet tall, weighing 140 million pounds and yet it balances on a a very small connecting base. This boggled my mind. How could this giant rock balance its enormous weight on such a small base area? It got me thinking about the enormous weight each of us carries through our daily lives, trying to find a way to balance it all. There are times when balance seems inconceivable but just like this rock, it is possible to defy the odds to find your own form of balance.
Check out the Poems page for a third sample poem from my upcoming book :)
Careful Consideration
This was the hardest yet most therapeutic part of creating my book. Sitting on my living room floor with all my pieces laid out was a deeply personal moment. I was physically touching the words of my story. My story that I was afraid of telling, my story that was stowed away in notebooks and journals for over a decade. But now here I was reviewing each piece and reminding myself of my incredible journey to healing.
Hours and hours passed by but I didn’t even notice because I was laser-focused on my end goal of shaping a cohesive recollection of my life for readers to follow. Each piece was placed with careful consideration. I just can’t wait for you to hold it in your hands and savor each piece of my story.
The pictures are blurred for obvious reasons ;) if you look close enough you can see my cat, ShaQuay, supervising me and keeping my on track.
Check out the Poems page for another sample poem from my book :)
COMING MAY 14TH!
The journey to creating this book has not been an easy one. Several times I questioned its validity and its worth. Was telling my story really worth it? Who would care to read about me? Questions like these bounced around in my mind as I tried to focus on creating my book. It was only when I read through my work, piece by piece, that I felt the full impact of what I had created, what I had crafted from fragile memories. I realized how life-changing this process was for me as I reflected on my own growth and strength. While this process opened old wounds for myself and my family it also opened doors to conversations about traumas we had locked away years ago. It brought clarity to misunderstandings and closeness to distant relationships. In a nutshell, this book has done wonders for my healing and I cannot wait for you all to read it. These are my tears, this is my story.
Check out the Poems page for a sample poem from my book :)
Letter to My Mother
Mom,
It’s hard to describe the gut-wrenching pain I feel when you stare into space. Wondering. Wishing. Thinking. Or when you question yourself as a mother. I meant it with every fiber of my being when I said you were the best mother I could ever hope for, the greatest woman to raise me into the woman I am today. I have watched you move mountains for me and my siblings. Fight tooth and nail to give us the opportunities you never had. You have done more than enough. And you are more than enough for me as a mother.
I think back to the nights you were exhausted from working all day and yet you always put food on the table. You made everyone else’s plate before making your own. Sacrificed the chance to rest your aching body to give me back rubs until I fell asleep. You sacrificed well-deserved sleep to listen to me go on and on about things I didn’t even remember the next week. You have always been a good listener.
I remember nights of sitting in between your knees at the couch while you worked miracles on my tender-headed locks. Never stopping even when your wrists were hurting, and your fingers begged for a break. Because you wanted me to feel beautiful. And I always wanted to be as beautiful as you. I would watch as your hair cascaded down your back and the coconut oil glistened on your curls. I just knew I would be as beautiful as you one day. Not just outside, but also as beautiful as your heart.
You’ve given everything for me and my siblings. You’ve helped strangers with many a favor. I’ve watched you take on more than your job duties all in the name of goodness. The goodness that resides in you and will forever be a part of you. Because you have a heart of gold and a wonderful soul.
You are the quintessential mother, the greatest of the great. I hope you feel that in your bones. I hope it warms you inside. You deserve to be acknowledged and this letter is just that, an acknowledgement. Of the unconditional love, joy, and inspiration that you have poured into me for nearly twenty-four years. It’s the least I could do—the rock bottom least. And if God will make it so, I will give you everything, and more, that you deserve. If only I could lasso the sun for you, I would because you already lassoed the moon for me.
I hope God aligns the stars to create your very own constellation when your body leaves this Earth so I can continue to look up to you the way I always have. But we still have many, many, many years before that time will come, and I thank God for every day I am blessed with your presence in my life. I would truly be lost without you.
Thank you for the guidance and wisdom you have instilled in me. I hope to reflect that with my own children one day and pass on your legacy of love. I love you, Mom, with every beat of my heart.
Your daughter forever and for always,
Pooh