The Hiding Place

When I was around eight or nine, my mother gifted me a book called The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

That book rocked my world.

I realized then the power of words, the ability to translate and transform, to take a reader to another time to realize the vastness of the world.

I then spent several weeks in fifth grade piecing together a tiny book of my own. I used Elmer’s school glue, soft light blue fabric, and a bit of white yarn to create my first book of poems.

I was hooked on putting together words like puzzles.

Around that same time, my sweet mama brought home a ‘roses are red’ poem she’d written especially for me on Valentine’s Day.

These presents comprised of words, books, and poems shaped the girl and then the woman I became. Now I write love poems for my mom, dad, their spouses, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, and others in and out of my family who inspire me to remind them of how deeply I care for them.

Turnabout is fair play.

About the photo: I made my first book in fifth grade using yarn, cloth, glue, and words.