I Am a Writer …
By Bernadette A Moyer

I am a writer that is what I do! Everything for me is a story, a story to be shared. I am however, mindful that not everyone in my life shares that sentiment. Some people value their privacy and prefer NOT to be written about and I am aware of this fact of life.

My greatest sense of accomplishment comes from writing and having those written words connect to others and I find the highest value in those connections. Australia is a place I have never been and yet my books have not only reached that destination but received a reaction so strong that a written book review was created for my book on the popular site amazon.com. To this writer that is my paycheck.

I receive e-mails, letters and messages about my books and my written words. I have written about death, estrangement and about abuse. Three almost taboo subjects and all have profoundly influenced and affected my life. They say “write about what you know” and I do. I can easily communicate about death, estrangement and abuse, all timeless subjects as it appears they won’t be going away any time soon. It has been through my ability to write that I have been approached to communicate my experiences and others have found comfort. For this writer that is my paycheck.

Pain shared is pain divided and in my ability to share with others they have found comfort and connected with me. I value these people some I meet face to face and others online. Either way, these people, they matter to me. It is not uncommon for a complete stranger to write to me and say, “My thirty one year old son just died in a car accident and his wife and my grandchildren are grieving. I read your article titled, “A Parent Dies.” Can you tell me about your book, Angel Stacey? And your angel dolls? “Then they share their own pain, grief and heartaches with me.

I have insight and some wisdom much of it born of my own pain and my own grief. In some small way I know this person and I know their pain and their grief. Other people may look at my life as heartache but I have been able to turn it around and see the gifts and blessings and God’s presence in those gifts, blessings and life lessons. I know what I am supposed to do with my experiences and so I write, I share and I seek knowledge.

Connections
Seeking to connect, we lives our lives
Hoping to resurrect, that which to survive
A simple touch, an act of kindness
Comforting hugs, embraces become timeless
Threads of sameness, attraction
Somewhere seeking, someone lacking
Upon a moments present, our actions suspend
We reach out and together, we connect

I am a writer, that is me, that is what I do. When my writing touches someone and helps them and makes even the slightest difference in their life it connects them to me. They inspire me to keep writing the same way I have managed to inspire them to keep going. And if my best writing is born of pain whether through death, estrangement or abuse experiences, and then later in our mutual sharing and healing, I’ll take it. That is my paycheck.

I am a writer … my next story is already written, soon to be posted. It is about the 9 year old kid who recently sat next to me in business class on our flight back to Baltimore. There is a story you see, for this writer, just about everywhere I go …

“Like” Bernadette on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/bernadetteamoyer
New book! ALONG THE WAY available at http://www.createspace.com/5737976