Writing is my therapy

By Jodi Thornton Nelson

I’ve always written poetry. I have a book of poems that I’ve written over the years. I started when I was a teenager and have continued to keep up the practice. My poetry book is a chronicle of my life. It holds some of my most precious memories, my deepest hurts and my hearts cry or triumph at any given point in my life. Some may not rhyme or even make sense to anyone other than me, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I was able to express myself in a way that made me feel better. 

I wrote when my heart was broken. I wrote when I found love. I wrote when I had young children and was a frustrated mother and wife. When someone needed encouragement or it was a special occasion, I wrote a poem to help express my feelings. I wrote when my parents were separating, and when my father struggled with alcohol addiction. I wrote when my children were growing up and away from me, and I wrote when I had grandchildren to pour my love onto. I wrote when love seemed to have drifted away, and when my husband and I were on our own again. I wrote when each of my parents passed away, and when my children had lives of their own separate from mine. I chronicled it all, I poured my heart and soul into them.

I also wrote a book for my grandchildren that is being published by She Rises Studios. It’s called “Olivia’s Not So Boring Day”. It too was an act of love and a way to express myself. 

I believe that these poems and stories are a glimpse into my very soul, but most especially I believe that writing each of them help me to express myself, or to get closure. They honestly were my therapy. All of my poems and stories were, and still are, driven by emotion. Written for a certain place and time in my life. And I find that after putting them down on paper and sharing them with someone I always feel as if I’ve done a good thing. 

I’ll share with you a poem that I wrote a few years ago when I realized that I am a powerful woman. 

The Past is Past

The past does not define me,

The past is not who I am.

The past is just a moment in time,

A snapshot missing a frame.

I am stronger than I seem,

I am confident, and sure.

I am a mother longing for the love of her children,

But I am so much more!

I am a wife to a wonderful man,

Who would give me the moon if he thought it my desire.

I have touched hearts,

And I have touched minds,

And I’ve created things unconsumable by fire.

I have talent, and compassion,

I have love that knows no bounds.

I will give of myself until there’s nothing left, 

And then I will strive to give a bit more.

Love cannot be bought.

Respect is not a right.

Relationships take time to bloom,

And they don’t take root without a fight.

On this New Years Eve, I remind myself,

This simple yet profound truth,

That the past is in the past.

It is just a moment in time.

And that new snapshots can always be added,

To this album that is my life.

Jodi Thornton Nelson 12/31/22

So maybe someone else will be inspired to use writing stories or poems as a form of therapy. I hope so, as it works for me.

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