I Joined a Writers Group

[Scroll to the bottom to read my first writing submission to the Writers Group]

Ok, never in my life (well at least since grade 4) did I think that i’d be called to join a writers group or to really do anything with regards to writing.
If it involved a short story, poem or any type of creative writing style, I was automatically out. Why? Because at an early age I was told (programmed) by my grade 4 teacher that I would never be a great writer and that I was the type of person who would need to carry a dictionary around for the rest of her life.
Until now, I have allowed that program to be a story I told myself over and over again. I let that story stop me from writing what my heart and soul wanted to share and express.
How did I get here? During a client session, I received an image download of the client writing at an old antique desk, with a lace table runner and the old writing instruments you dipped in ink. I could vividly see my client writing what was in her heart and I could feel the freedom and passion she felt when doing so.
The entire download was inspiring and created a yearning inside of me.
I shared with the client about a writers room I knew taking place & invited her to join the group. As I shared I felt the pull within me to join the group as well.

And what do you think I did when that initial thought came up? Yep, I buried it. Pushed it down. Retold the old story to myself that I wasn’t a good writer nor could I spell or use proper grammar. Who was I to write? A couple weeks after this initial thought, my client shared that she was signing up for the group. Again, I felt the pull to join. And again, I let the old story replay in my mind to remind me that I can’t do this. That’s when a passage from one of my favorite quotes popped into my head…

”Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.”

[Our Deepest Fear By Marianne Williamson]

—

In that moment, I heard the call, took a step forward with vulnerable courage & signed up. In my coaching sessions I often share with my clients that I am willing to walk through the fire of uncomfortability & volunerbility first, so that I can help others do the same. (You’ll see this reflected in my writing below).
So here I go. Jumping in with both feet.

Alright, it’s time to share a piece of me with you (whomever you are reading this).
I would be honored if you took the time to read it, to see & witness a part of my heart.
——

Courageous Bloom

 Plucked from a package of perfection.
I am placed within the darkness.
The cold and the damp. 

Swallowed by the blackness of mother earth.
I lay dormant in my shell as I question my purpose.
Waiting patiently for the surge of waters to soften my shell & bring me to life. 

The first droplet hits, it’s refreshing and awakens the cellular memory within me.
I hear the faint whisper, “it is time.” 

I answer the call,
I sprout and I grow.

 I remember this path,
I’ve been here before.

My mind cannot curate the visual memories.
But the core of my essence, my soul, it remembers.

The day I emerge from the depths of mother earth,
I am faced with the chilling winds & rain.
Why did I choose today? Why did I say yes to this experience, to this life?
It feels harsh and unwelcoming.
A part of me wants to go back to the safety of the soil beneath me.  

Yet, I continue to grow and overcome the shadows of my mind.
As I face the stormy weather around me.
I surrender to the flow within me and allow trust into my heart. 

The moment I choose to let go I witness the most magical sunrise.
Its heat penetrates my soul & I continue to grow.
The winds and the rain dissipate around me. 

In this moment of warmth, I release the most glorious bloom.
My colors match the sunrise that dances before me.

“What I am?” I ask.
The gentle wind whispers in my ear, 

“You are the softness, the sweet scent. The symbol of peace here on earth.
You are the divine and the divine is you.
You are a delicate beauty that invites tenderness into the hearts of those who are blessed to witness you.
You are the reminder of love in its purest form.”

In that moment, I remember why I chose to come back.
I am here to love and to be loved, to be a courageous soul willing to go first,
So that I may inspire others to do the same.
I am here to remind us all that we can overcome the harshest of weathers
If we remember to surrender and have faith in the divine.

As I integrate this remembrance into my cells,
I witness the field before me fill with the most majestic blooms.

Here I am and there, they are.

We are the rose.

 x Steph