I was born to an American soldier and Korean immigrant at the army base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I grew up in and around Louisville. Although I have traveled thousands of miles away from this place, something always brings me back here.
I began writing as a child, composing short stories and memoirs for the Young Authors’ contests in school and quickly fell in love with the art. Through adversity and violence, I found solace in poetry, adopting writing as my way to process and cope with experiences that I did not yet have the courage to face or combat. Over the last fifteen years, poetry is what has helped me find my voice, my courage, and ultimately, recovery.
Often autobiographical, my poetry stares uncomfortable topics like childhood abuse, mental illness, and suicidal ideation in the face. In contrast, from my poems have come some of the most profound and beautiful observations and expressions of gratitude, devotion, hope, and triumph. My poems have existed both as a cry for help and as the hand reaching out in the darkness to pull me out. What once began as therapeutic writing sessions now lives in the pages of my books, Echoes: My Journey from the Ledge to the Mountain Top and Soul Revision.
I made the decision to share my words with the world with the intention and hope that my experiences and the expression of them would be a light to others in some way. Although I have found myself unable to sit down with a topic in mind and deliberately produce a poem, (I write only by muse, energy, or otherwise divine inspiration), most of my pieces fall into the categories of life lessons, trauma recovery, spirituality, relationships, and mental health.
I am a mother, wife, nurse, and southern suburban wonder woman.
Creative, resourceful, unconventional and unapologetic.
Poet, painter, artist, thinker, passionate, driven. Open-minded and fearless.
I hone my craft, flip it, spin it, remix it, and create the life I envision.
I believe in speaking life to myself and others. I believe that the energy you send out into the universe comes back to you. What you feed your mind causes either growth or disease. We all have gems of knowledge and wisdom to share from our experiences. Even the newest newbie has seen and experienced a lifetime of things that you, I, or the next person haven’t.
Humility is important for everyone from the janitor to the CEO.
Kindness promotes health for the giver and the receiver.
The brain can be the most inflexible muscle. It requires daily training and discipline.
The most important lesson I have learned to date is this: You have the power to choose every moment, every second of your life.
You have the power to choose your thoughts, your attitude, your mentality, and your mindset no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.
You may not choose how you immediately feel about something as it is happening, but you are not far from the mercy of change and struggle.
With consistent determination and mental discipline, you can learn to shift your focus to find the important lesson in every situation.
We can derive direction & purpose from any negative experience.
It is a daily, hourly, and even moment-by-moment discipline, and it is by far the hardest exercise that I have ever had to do.
But it has been worth it, lending me courage, mental strength, & resilience.
I have studied (and practiced) a number of religions in my life, all of which gave me beautiful, invaluable insight into the importance of discipline, humility, gratitude, hope, kindness, faith, justice, perseverance, and most of all love.
Coming Soon (August 2019):
Beside You: Diary of a NICU Mom
Chronicling my 2008 journey into motherhood with the near-tragic birth of my daughter at twenty-four weeks. Weighing just 1 pound, 4 ounces, and classified as a “micro-preemie,” she went on to spend 111 days in neonatal intensive care, where I lived by her side. Written in my voice to my daughter, this diary spans over a decade, filled with letters, photos, and journal entries documenting our private struggles, fears, declarations of faith, milestones, and ultimately, finding our way in life after the NICU.
I am a survivor of the life I have lived—we all are. If you woke up this morning and continued on this journey, you too are a survivor. Plenty of people will not finish this day or be here again tomorrow. That is all the reason I need to make the most of every. single. moment of this life.
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Amazon Links:
Echoes: My Journey from the Ledge to the Mountain Top
