What happens when you need and want to tell the truth about things you can’t quite remember? These blog posts document my many attempts to remember and to tell the truth.

Beneath My Silence – They Were Part of Your Story – A Poem on Letting Go – Series

It’s a strange thing – how someone can be woven into your daily life for what feels like forever, and then suddenly, they’re not. Maybe it ended quietly, maybe it fell apart. Either way, the absence is real, and the chnage is jarring. You might still carry unanswered questions. You might still hurt.

And that’s okay. Heartache doesn’t follow a schedule. The memories don’t just fade on command. They linger –

in songs, in places, in ordinary moments that unexpectedly bring that person rushing back to your mind.

They were part of your story …

and no matter how it ended, they mattered. But here’s what’s also true:

not all people are meant to stay. Some enter our lives to teach us, challenge us, love […]

The Quiet Gift of Writing From the Soul

Like most meaningful exchanges, receiving a gift that stirs something profound within can awaken a sense of purpose. For me, the idea of writing this blog was just that—a gift.

I had just stepped into retirement, feeling tender, open, and hopeful about offering something of light to others. It took two years of reflection before I found the clarity to begin and give shape to what I envisioned.

From the moment I started, this blog has become my guide, teaching me as much as I’ve tried to offer through it. As I wrote, a few entries at a time, I found myself on a journey I hadn’t expected. The support I imagined would come from friends never quite arrived.

Instead, my deep connection […]

Beneath My Silence – I’m Homesick for a Haven – Series

I’m homesick for a haven I’m not sure exists – a place where my heart is whole, my body safe, and my soul no longer lonely.

I search for it in quiet mornings, in strangers’ smiles, in the way sunlight rests on my skin.

Sometimes, I almost feel it—
in a song, in the hush of trees, in the memory of being held

Beneath My Silence – Poems – Series

Beneath My Silence

There are stories we tell out loud – and there are ones we carry quietly etched beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to be heard.

This collection of poems was born from those quieter places –

where words once trembled behind closed lips, where pain and resilience lived side by side, and where healing began not with answers but honesty.

Beneath My Silence is a journey through grief, hope, meaning, and memory. It’s shaped by the echoes of my past and the wisdom of surviving it. Some poems emerged from sorrow, others from joy, but all are threads of a life deeply felt and deeply lived. These poems hold what I couldn’t say out loud. Thank you for listening.

Doré

[…]

The Girl Left Behind : A Journey of Healing from Childhood Trauma – Series

On January 9, 1986, my world shifted forever—I became a mother to a beautiful baby girl named Wendy.

In that moment, something in me awakened. Loving her gave my life new purpose. I wasn’t just living for myself anymore; I was living for her.

Still, I was moving through life in survival mode, skimming the surface of my pain.

I could see that wasn’t fair to her—I wanted to do better, to be better. Not because I consciously decided to change, but because something in me knew I had to. My body and mind were still wired for defense, shaped by the trauma of my childhood. I had learned to fight to stay afloat, and […]

Near Death Experience: Surviving My Stepmother’s Abuse: A Story of Pain, Silence, and Strength – Series

The trauma inflicted by my stepmother echoed through every corner of my childhood. I was nine when my mother died. Two years later, George and I met our stepmother, Dotti, and our two half-brothers, Rick and Ron.

Ron was born the day after our mother died—October 15, 1962.

That date would take on deeper meaning in the years to come.

From the very beginning, Dotti made her resentment of us clear. Her abuse was constant and unrelenting.

She struck out physically—yanking my hair, slapping my face, locking me in closets, and denying me meals.

Her true cruelty lay in her emotional warfare: calculated, relentless, and all-consuming.

There was no respite, no safe moment. Her […]

Near Death Experience: The Ocean Took Me: My First Near-Death Experience as a Child – Series

It was 1959, under a sky dappled with clouds, when I spent a carefree afternoon at the beach with my aunt Dorothy, cousins, brother George, and mom.

The waves’ rhythm, the sand’s warmth, and the promise held by the distant horizon enchanted me. As George and I strolled along the shoreline, we searched for seashells and driftwood treasures. I glanced down, mesmerized by the frothy seafoam swirling around my ankles as the tide rolled in with quiet grace.

I closely watched the shoreline, hoping the waves might reveal a hidden treasure just for me. George lingered a few steps ahead, scanning the surf.

And then—everything changed.


A wall of water crashed […]

Dating After 70: Why Women Thrive and Men Struggle to Adjust

Stick around for a few laugh-worthy moments from my dating life—you won’t be disappointed. Solitude and loneliness aren’t the same thing.

Of course, I don’t mean all men need to learn these lessons; however, I’ve learned that I have to clarify that upfront.

Loneliness is a peculiar companion.

For some, it feels like a burden; for others, it’s a quiet kind of freedom—solitude.

As we grow older, the experience of being alone seems to diverge sharply between men and women.

Many older women, though certainly not all, appear to embrace this stage with resilience and grace. They pursue new interests, deepen friendships, and often find comfort in their own company. Older men, on the other hand, usually face a tougher adjustment. Whether following […]

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