I wrote an essay recently called Healing the Mother Wound that was published. Little did I know that baby would grow wings and fly all around the world. It went viral. I tapped into a universal vein that had mind blowing impact.  I received letters worldwide thanking me for writing that piece- a deep, personal window into rage, grief and healing.  A forgiveness that not many come to in life.

These letters in my inbox spilled out cathartic releases from people.  One woman said her tears had been locked up inside her, a dry- to- the- bone empty well that she had to live with, bury, hide. When she landed on my essay, she said a waterfall of tears poured out of her for the first time in years. A healing so deep penetrated the core of her anger and resentment toward her mother, and she found her way back 'home' to herself. Softened. Open. Fueled with compassion. 

This is the direct impact of sharing our stories. The hard ones. The ones that make me cringe to send out into the world, exposing my under belly to thousands of people.  The ripple effect that I witnessed is the very reason why I write, why I help writers' write, why writing the truth, being courageous enough to craft it out, is powerful beyond measure. 

Not only is the process of writing an alchemical unveiling, it has the ability to reveal yourself to yourself. A peeling of layers, an unearthing of personal truth has the capacity to reach deep inside another person and literally change their lives as it changes your life. 

I am a writing coach. I edit books and essays. I look beneathe the grammar and typos for the deeper story, the voice that wants to be speak and be heard, for the heart's pulse threading the words together like strands of pearls.  

There are many people with poignant stories they keep hidden in the darkest cavern of their memory, in fear of letting them out into the light of day, of being vulnerable, of hurting others.  Maya Angelou said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you."  The weight of it is exhausting and detrimental to the soul and peace of mind. To lay it down on paper and step by step, saying it out loud, the load of life lightens and we realize our grief, our shame, our wound is universal. What is also universal is resilience, the cultivation of wisdom that can come from our hurt, and the shared journey of being ever so bone and blood-filled human.