The Power of Memoir

This morning I had something in my mind that I planned to share, but I decided to save that for another day after I came upon the following.

It is an act of courage and personal power to dare to write the truths you hold, to carve a space in the vast realms of time and dive in, using only words as ballast. To enter into memory, to find the body of the child you once were and to dare to listen to him or her–that is courageous, and in this act, new tendrils of self are launched across the abyss from past to present. As we balance on the fine lines of truth, memory, and story, we discover ourselves, we uncover layers that we didn’t know existed. The writing is the key, writing that comes from soul and heart, writing that launches us out from our comfort zone, and into the unknown. There we find wisdom, there we find who we really are.


These words were written by Linda Joy Myers speaking about her newest book The Power of Memoir.  Even if I hadn't read some of Linda's earlier work (Don't Call Me Mother and Becoming Whole) I would be compelled to pick up her newest book just based on this one quote. It inspires me to continue the work on my memoir which is, at times, difficult work.  As I've slogged away on this over the past year I have uncovered new truths about my experience that I had no idea existed before.
I will have the good fortune to meet Linda Joy next week at the Stories From the Heart conference in Austin.  Just one more reason that I'm counting down the days before the conference begins!