This book is a group of poems I have compiled on my journey of healing God has brought to my life. When I asked God to forgive me for the life I had lived and to come into my life He did. However, just because I had invited Him into my life and given my heart to Him didn't mean my life was perfect. I had so much emotional baggage from the way I had chosen to deal with life. God made us to have emotions. He made us to feel, hurt, laugh, cry, and be angry. He wants us to use these emotions by sharing them with Him and others in a healthy way. He doesn't give us feelings to shove down into the depths of our soul or numb them with things.

Unfortunately, that's easier to do than express them. We turn to alcohol, drugs, materialism, unhealthy relationships, food, and anything else we can. Pain is a part of life and if we neglect it; it festers and remains. We can carry it around for years and it will come out in many different and disastrous ways. God wants us to allow Him into our pain so He can heal us and use us. When I opened my heart completely to Him the process began. I didn't know it would come out in the form of poetry or even that I would write anything down. I do know that I felt compelled to write and I did.

I cried a lot. I received relief and restoration from storing years of bad decisions, pain, and consequences. I would like to dedicate this book to my brother William Boling III and my best friend Robin Baird Bramblett. Both of their deaths have made the strongest impacts on my life. William's death took me deeper into sin, muck, and mire by choice. Instead of our family drawing close to God and each other to deal with it we all went our separate ways with our pain. Robin's death and the pain from it caused an awakening in my soul to stop taking life for granted. I had already given my life to God, but I wasn't living like it.

I wasn't giving life all I have or the important relationships in my life. I am also thankful for my husband and children who have been Jesus to me through it all. I am thankful that God led me to a church that prayed for me. I am thankful for every person who has been a part of my journey. Those who have hurt me, loved me, or helped me. I am thankful for my pain because without it I wouldn't have needed a Healer or a Savior to help me. In closing, I also want to dedicate this book to the youth. I pray that somehow the words of this book will inspire them not to squander themselves, their time, or their talents for the fleeing pleasures of this world.

I pray they will turn to God and do extraordinary things by following His plans for them instead of their own. ** 1 Timothy 4:12 don't let anyone despise you in your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, .in love, and in purity. **2 Timothy 2:22 so fl ee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ** Jeremiah 29:11 "for I know the plans I have for you, " says the Lord "They are plans for good and not disaster, togive you a future and a hope. ".