Heal me
  Restore me with your Love
   Transform me from a seagull
     into a Dove

(Written by my daughter Gwen)
As it appears on my wall lovingly written and painted with a Butterfly wing and roses hand painted by my daughter on a small canvas. The words are carefully inscribed in white.
I placed the picture lovingly and carefully below her picture.
Her Quote reads:

    Don't spend your life
    wondering if you'll be missed
    spend your life
    being so amazing you don't miss your chance
                             at
                     Living

I hope by sharing this quote it might inspire others.
   Gwen, if you are reading this you inspire me with your beautiful words. Your encouragement to reach for my dreams continually gives me wings especially on rough days and gives me the courage to overcome obstacles that I face in life. I hope that my belief in you gives you wings also.
I love you more than words can adequately express.
  Sincerely your Butterfly mom,

I want to love violently,
Ripping everything to shreds with the power it gives me.
I want to love gently,
Dragging my fingers slowly across your cheek where the sun kisses it good morning.
I want to love adventurously,
With our hair whipping in the wind on the way to a city far away, driving music blaring.
I want to love intentionally,
By grabbing your hand and ditching a party to kiss in the dark because you're the only one I want to be with.
I want to love with overflowing passion,
Running to catch the bus and then our breaths after coffee took too long.
I want to love without thinking,
Dialing your number automatically for the slightest of things.
I want all these things for my love, but most of all
I want to love you,
Forever.

I find myself in pieces
Scattered across
Beautiful landscapes
Cities,
Countries embedded in her skin
Entire
Continents pooling in her pores

Kisses splashed across
Red raw lips
Starved of affection

Her name hammering against my chest
My heart wandering lost
Clasped firmly
In the soft touch of her fingertips at 3 in the morning
The bitter sound of her goodbye
Shattering my rib cage

What a lesson it is
To learn that love does not simply end
It is us that grow tired and weary

What an honour it had been
To leave a fragment of myself in her smile. **To leave a small fire burning in the darkest corner of her soul.

Oh it is that time of the year again
I have to set the clock's again on my microwave
on my alarm clock
on my wristwatch

  It's that time of year again
  it fills me with dread
  I become reluctant to leave the bed
  even if I try to go to sleep early
  as hard as try to sleep
  I'm forced to count the sheep

  The one clock I can not set
  is the one that is most upset
  My internal clock does not wind
  to automatically set to daylight savings time
  May I make a request, please
  Just don't mess with people's circadian rhythm

Rage licked her insides
Until it burst from her
In an almighty inferno,
Tearing apart everything
Unclean in her vicinity.
She demanded that her life be worth something,
And it was.

( In memory of Eleanor)
It's the little things that mean so much
A kind word
A gentle touch
A hug
A smile
A laugh
Sharing of thoughts together
singing
dancing
expressing of one's self  with another
accepting oneself and also accepting others
caring that is expressed in many ways.

It's the little things
we often take for granted
as we go about our busy day thinking that
I will talk to them tomorrow instead of taking the time today
We are not guaranteed tomorrow
seize the present  moment today
Once time is gone, it can be recaptured
It is like sand quickly slipping through our hands

The little things that are so precious
like blessings from above
Cherish time with loved ones
before time does slip away
They might not be here tomorrow
but you have today

Those memories are very precious
kept like an image in a locket
held close to our hearts
The love of those closest to us
is likened to a light on a dark and lonely day

It's the little things that are so precious and priceless
which money can never buy
We may not have tomorrow, so we can try to make the most
out of today

I've spent centuries
in this agony
My body changes
but time stays still

All this time I've passed
waiting to be found
like a bird inside a cage,
my feet chained to this ground

I can't keep my monsters at bay
but I can't run away

In the eye of each soul
all I see is fear
and my own still whispers
"I'm not from here"

By now I thought
I'd have more power
But at the end of each day
"it" still devours

Even though there's love in my heart
I still feel like falling apart

Each fight feels like
dark mirrors inside a maze
and all I see in this reflection
is my own empty gaze

My mind is light years
away from this place
Still the only thing that saves me
is your warm embrace

And when it feels like I have no choice
I recognize your voice

I'm so tired of this fight
But your love still keeps me warm
Together, we'll win this battle
Together, we'll breathe through the storm.