.."..You say you see a diamond in my eyes. May you gaze deep within it. May you see your own jeweled spirit reflected in its facets. May our tears and smiles ever polish our divine gems bright."

This collection of writing and poetry is a glimpse of the journey I have taken to heal from a difficult childhood, on a spiritual path; to see myself as worthy of the happy life I knew was possible, and to empower my own voice. It is also about my ongoing journey of learning to trust my heart, speak my truth, relax into being loved by other people and by the Divine, and to share my healing and love with others.

These are the writings that I have found to be the most healing. They were (and still are) therapy for me. Most were not written to be read by anyone else: they were simply a healing tool - a way to process and transcend experiences.

Some are expressions of what I needed to understand, release or integrate at the time. Some are celebrations of love. Some are musings on the divine nature of existence. Some are releasing of pain or unfortunate irony; but even most of those shift around to a perspective that allows for healing and rebirth.

I found that the act of writing provided insight that I didn't have before setting pen to paper. And because writing was instrumental in helping me understand my experiences and reactions, I could then see how I might shift to a more positive perspective, allowing the beauty in each situation to be revealed.

I am now sharing these writings because I have come to a place in my journey where I feel the world needs as much love and healing intention as possible. While I am a bit shy about sharing such personal writings, I have found the perspectives in these writings to be healing, and in some cases, even Divinely-inspired. So, at this point, I feel I am not to keep them hidden away any longer, if others could possibly benefit from them.

I have presented these poems and ponderings in chronological order (starting at age 18). So you might see a pattern of progression and maturing. Even still, healing isn't linear; we often spiral back around to many of the same lessons, so we can approach them from a different vantage point as we access new levels of understanding in our growth.

My hope and intention is that you connect, in some way, to at least a few of the writings in this book, that you see yourself somewhere reflected in their words, and that this reflection helps you to see your own amazing and divine beauty.