Poems for Mourning and Hope

A collection of poems written after the death of my spouse when I felt completely alone and yet was not alone.

After the death of my spouse, I reached a place I had never been,completely alone,at least I felt that way.I had family,friends,God,but I will never forget that feeling of being completely alone and disconnected from the world.There were many feelings and these poems reflect them.Those feelings were coupled with my connection to my spouse,to God, and our love.That love grew stronger in a different way and led me on the road to recovery,to joy again.These poems reflect that hope and that light that led me through the mourning.

In order to process several painful losses,the author found comfort in writing poetry and was inspired to share the words after favorable comments from others who felt the poetry helped them.The author,born the eldest of two children,experienced a difficult loss at the age of 7 when their parents divorced.The age of 15 marked the author's first experience with death when a beloved family member,Dad,nicknamed Tonti,passed away suddenly.Another painful loss occurred at the age of 30 when the author lost Mom to terminal cancer.However,none of those losses compared to the grief felt over the death of a spouse after 21 years of blissful marriage.(New paragragh)The idea of the book came about while the author was sitting in church one Sunday and members asked for volunteers for a talent show.Not thinking of any special talent except the love of writing poetry,the author auditioned for the show and was accepted.After reading three poems about loss and the grieving process,several people asked for a book.This sparked the flame to complete a book that could possibly help others with the emotions and heartache associated with loss.(new paragragh)After graduating from high school,the author enrolled in college and received a degree in Nursing before enlisting for four years of active duty in the Army and completing various nursing assignments.After active duty,the author continued to serve in the Army Reserve and went on to earn a master's degree as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Specialist.The author has since retired from the military after 26 years of service in the Medical Corp. and has retired civilian work of 20 years in a mens prison mental health department.Currently works one day a week in an outpatient mental health clinic and resides near family and close friends.