Heal with Marj

06/01/2025

I once knew a woman
With lines on her face
Who’d lived most her life
In a much different place

A place where those lines
Were respected, revered
Where it was known
They held the wealth of her years

And here, in a place
That was scared to grow old
She made us all realise
The beauty age holds

For one day she stood
And attracted a crowd
She started to speak
As we all gathered round

And we hung on each word,
We were all mesmerised
For her voice was so powerful,
Knowing and wise

She smoothed down the crown
Of her hair on her head
Then she lifted her chin
And her voice as she said

“These lines are not something
To hide or to fear
But something that says
‘I have lived, I was here’

They’re not to be counted
Like bars of a cage
But like rings of a tree
That grows stronger with age

Grounded and grand
Persevering and proud
I’ve earned every stripe
So I’ll wear them out loud

And though you might think
I’d look better with none
Just wait til you learn
How I earned every one

Because I’m much more
Than the way that I look
And these lines on my face
Are like lines from a book

That holds all the tales
Of the things gone before me
So come, take a seat
And I’ll tell you my story”

*****

This is the June poem in my 2025 calendar and someone messaged me earlier and thanked me for including - so I thought I'd re-share it here

Becky Hemsley 2024
Beautiful artwork by Mary Feywood

These Lines is the opening poem in my collection Words to Remember: https://amzn.eu/d/2qH1jD6

05/04/2025

You are not made in the depths of despair my darling, but neither are you made at the peak of the mountain.

You are not made in the moments where you float on cloud nine, but you're not made in the rubble of rock bottom either.

You are made in all of it.

Because it is not your successes that shape you,
but equally it is not your struggles.

It is all the little steps you take in between.
It is how you navigate it; how you move from rock bottom to the very top.
How you sit with despair and choose then to climb to the clouds.

And just as the sky is not made in only the storms or the sunshine...
neither are you.

Some people will see your sunny skies and will think they know you. Some people will see you grey clouds and think that's who you are.

But only those that have seen your sky move through the brightest blue to the deepest black and back again; who've watched your sun set in reds and yellows and rise again in oranges and pinks...
Only those who have seen your sky glow with purples and dance with greens can truly begin to know you.

You are not make in the darkest depths or the starriest heights, my love.
You are made in every single moment.

Because the sky is not defined by just one thing - just one colour - no matter how many times someone tells it it's blue.

And neither are you.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024
Incredible artwork by Anna Lubchik

04/03/2025

03/28/2025

Knowing what to say to someone who is grieving can be challenging. If you’re struggling to write a sympathy card, we’ve put together some helpful tips to offer comfort and support. Read more here: https://carsonsvillage.org/resource/how-to-write-a-sympathy-card/

03/06/2025

Camp Heartstrings / Camp Dreams
Help and Healing for Grieving Children
A special 3-day camp for children (entering grades 2-11 in September 2025) who are learning to cope with the loss of a loved one. Developed by Licensed Master Social Workers, Camp Heartstrings promotes understanding, acceptance, healing, and hope through a thoughtful blend of therapeutic activities and fun!

🗓 When: June 30th, July 1st and 2nd
📍 Where: Nazareth University
💖 Cost: FREE for campers and their families!

This event fills up fast so register your camper soon!
Registration closes on April 17 or when 40 campers are registered. Download and fill out the Camp Heartstrings/Camp Dreams application. Please see the contact info below on where to send your child's application.
For questions, please contact Michele Allman, LMSW, Bereavement Coordinator for UR Medicine Hospice (a program of UR Medicine Home Care) at (585) 274-4069 or at URMHC-CampHeartstrings@URMC.Rochester.edu
Children

02/21/2025

I once planted flowers.
And nothing happened.
For days, I watched the ground; the dirt.
And nothing happened.
But I kept faith.
I kept watering that ground and
I kept showing it the light.
And one day tiny shoots appeared.
They’d grown through the darkness
and they’d broken through the ceiling.
And they’d been greeted by the sun.
I once planted flowers.
And nothing happened.
Until one day,
they bloomed.
*****
The earliest stages of growth can often seem a bit fruitless; like not a lot is happening. But have patience with yourself, because one day... you'll bloom 🌺
Becky Hemsley 2025