I have weathered many storms in my lifetime. I have been married four times. Two of which lasted over 20 years, yet still ended in divorce.I suffered the loss of my relationship with my first love who I thought was my true love in one divorce and the loss of my best friend in the other. I am an only child whose father was murdered while I was a toddler and whose mother died while living with me due to a lengthy illness. I was catastrophically devastated by her death! I wound up raising three sons alone (who by the way, turned out to be amazing family men). I have overcome a drug and alcohol addiction that I chose to self-medicate myself. I have built and lost my dream home, my dream car, as well as my career that I had a great passion for, after years of preparation. I have been incarcerated and took a loss of over $200,000 while being away for two years. Incarceration itself was a terrifying experience for me. I was absolutely lost upon my release.
Even though I was brought up in the church, my faith in God wavered, because of what I was going through. I did not understand why God had seemingly turned a deaf ear to my prayers. I stood on His words that I read in the Bible, and believed everything I read,even if I did not understand it all. But nothing and no one was working out on my behalf.
I had no peace and was full of regret, defeat, and abandonment for years.
Then I started to write. Writing became my savior. I let go of the present and past obstacles when I put it into words. It became euphoric and exhilarating to me. Most of all I was thrilled to retreat to the serenity and contentment that I felt while I wrote. It was the only positive place in my life and I retreated there more and more. When I wrote, it took me to a place that transferred my pain into the words that I wrote. And I left it there in my written words. I experienced a much needed place of tranquility. I wrote poems for years before I published my first book. It was my means of survival.
Years passed and time marched on. Then I met and married my most loving and understanding husband, who made it his mission to teach me to smile again and to throw back my head and laugh. Things that I had not been able to do for a long time. He encouraged me to publish my writing. We started going back to church again together. My church has a wonderful ministry that inspired my faith and spiritual growth. I was finally alive again! Now, I was able and equipped to face the future with hope and with courage. I now feel inspired and encouraged and I am grateful for being in this place, in my life.
I have weathered many storms in my lifetime.
I have been married four times. Two of which lasted over 20 years, yet still ended in divorce.I suffered the loss of my relationship with my first love who I thought was my true love in one divorce and the loss of my best friend in the other. I am an only child whose father was murdered while I was a toddler and whose mother died while living with me due to a lengthy illness. I was catastrophically devastated by her death! I wound up raising three sons alone (who by the way, turned out to be incredible family men). I have overcome a drug and alcohol addiction that I chose to self-medicate myself. I have built and lost my dream home, my dream car, as well as my career that I had a great passion for, after years of preparation. I have been incarcerated and took a loss of over $200,000 while being away for two years. Incarceration itself was a terrifying experience for me. I was absolutely lost upon my release.
Even though I was brought up in the church, my faith in God wavered, because of what I was going through. I did not understand why God had seemingly turned a deaf ear to my prayers. I stood on His words that I read in the Bible, and believed everything I read,even if I did not understand it all. But nothing and no one was working out on my behalf.
I had no peace and was full of regret, defeat, and abandonment for years.
Then I started to write. Writing became my savior. I let go of the present and past obstacles when I put it into words. It became euphoric and exhilarating to me. Most of all I was thrilled to retreat to the serenity and contentment that I felt while I wrote. It was the only positive place in my life and I retreated there more and more. When I wrote, it took me to a place that transferred my pain into the words that I wrote. And I left it there in my written words. I experienced a much needed place of tranquility. I wrote poems for years before I published my first book. It was my means of survival.
Years passed and time marched on. Then I met and married my most loving and understanding husband, who made it his mission to teach me to smile again and to throw back my head and laugh. Things that I had not been able to do for a long time. He encouraged me to publish my writing. We started going back to church again together. My church has a wonderful ministry that inspired my faith and spiritual growth. I was finally alive again! Now, I was able and equipped to face the future with hope and with courage. I now feel inspired and encouraged and I am grateful for being in this place, in my life.
This book is not a one time read, it is a book you can pick up again and again. Each time I pick it up, the poems speak to me in a different manner. My favorite poem is Broken, at some point we are broken,but how the words of this poem give the reader hope through faith in the Almighty. When I'm feeling broken and it happens all too often, this is a resource for me, it tells me that it is not just me that feels I'm losing at this game called life, but the writer so eloquently weaves in,that there is a healer for our brokenness. Some of my favorite other poems are: Thanks for Leaving. It's full of self assurance; Somebody Prayed for Me. This one hits differently on any given day. I could go on and on about these poems but stop reading my review and get this book. It will bless you!
This book helped me a lot by giving me hope and faith after multiple family deaths. It helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. It calmed me and gave me comfort and more faith. I am grateful for it. Although I like and relate to all of the poems, my most favorite poems are Forever and Always, Hope,You're Still Here with Me, and The Moment You Left Me. A Poem, No Competition and Me, actually had me rolling! The author has a way of adding new meaning to the words she writes that makes them new every time you read them. And you will read it over and over again when you buy it. I'm sure glad I got this book. You will be too.
I have known Janet for most of my life. We became close friends at an early age. She is both fragile and strong and she is a gifted author. I encouraged her to get her work published. I am so pleased that In My Feelings is so ‘her’. The poems are amazing as I knew they would be. Of course my most favorite is BFF, which she graciously dedicated to me and our friendship. Other poems that I like are: Friends, Good Times, and The Greatest Gift. I am truly proud of my friend and her first project because I am sure that there will be more.
In My Feelings is an in depth exploration into the author's beautiful soul. She has a deep love for humanity and desires to demonstrate that love to everyone that she meets and through her work. Janet reveals her heart through each poem as she articulates her feelings and is a joy to those she encounters in person or through her words. "Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
It's an inspiration. It helped me overcome many of my struggles, from abuse, addiction to coping. It has been a blessing to me. I highly recommend it. It's a 6 star read for me!