The Memory Coat
Sage advice from a FS friend39 total reviews
Comment from Patty Palmer
Sometimes it helps to have someone listen to you to find a way around things. Like your coat. Writing is such wonderful way to express yourself without anyone passing judgement.
Keep right on writing!
Patty
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Sometimes it helps to have someone listen to you to find a way around things. Like your coat. Writing is such wonderful way to express yourself without anyone passing judgement.
Keep right on writing!
Patty
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Thank you so kindly, I am very grateful for what you offer here.
YM gave the advice. She's extraordinary and there's more to come... in my gratitude for her.
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You're welcome!
Comment from Sandra du Plessis
A very well-written heartfelt rhyming poem about our memories that can ruin us when we constantly dwelling on the negative memories. We can hang them in a coat and just visit them once in a whIle and let us concentrate on the positive in the mean time.
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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A very well-written heartfelt rhyming poem about our memories that can ruin us when we constantly dwelling on the negative memories. We can hang them in a coat and just visit them once in a whIle and let us concentrate on the positive in the mean time.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Ms. du Plessis,
Thank you so kindly, I am very grateful for what you offer here. YM gave the advice. She's extraordinary and there's more to come... in my gratitude for her. I am very appreciative that you found this poem heartfelt. It was that and so much more.
Comment from LeftHandedScribe
What a hopeful and positive piece full of encouragement! You learned well, and also show great skill in your writing. This is clear and pleasing to read from start to finish. You are a wonderful example of growth.
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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What a hopeful and positive piece full of encouragement! You learned well, and also show great skill in your writing. This is clear and pleasing to read from start to finish. You are a wonderful example of growth.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Thank you so kindly, I am very grateful for what you offer here. YM gave the advice. She's extraordinary and there's more to come... in my gratitude for her. I appreciate your last sentence immensely!
Comment from juliaSjames
An endearing and moving poem with unique end rhyme. The idea of a memory coat, something tangible that represents grief, is difficult to grasp at first. But why not?
I wish you the best for the future, and good luck in the contest.
Blessings Julia
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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An endearing and moving poem with unique end rhyme. The idea of a memory coat, something tangible that represents grief, is difficult to grasp at first. But why not?
I wish you the best for the future, and good luck in the contest.
Blessings Julia
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Thank you so kindly, I am very grateful for what you offer here. YM gave the advice. She's extraordinary and there's more to come... in my gratitude for her. Thank you very much for the luck and for the future which has great things spinning and churning...
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Great to hear from you. Happy all is well.
Comment from nomi338
One of the greatest benefits of being a member of the FanStory family is the love and support most of the members freely give. Even when there is a risk of the help being rejected, we do not shy away from offering it. The growth I have personally enjoyed since joining this site is immeasurable. Not only has my writing improved, I am a better person as a result of the things my association with the members has blessed me with. Best of all the benefits just keep on coming.
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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One of the greatest benefits of being a member of the FanStory family is the love and support most of the members freely give. Even when there is a risk of the help being rejected, we do not shy away from offering it. The growth I have personally enjoyed since joining this site is immeasurable. Not only has my writing improved, I am a better person as a result of the things my association with the members has blessed me with. Best of all the benefits just keep on coming.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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You have spoken the truth, Sir! Nomi338 I have found a family like no other, and one that has wavelengths and insights that only I thought at one time belonged inside my brain. I have found growth beyond my wildest imagination, friendships so nurturing and comforting, I found sounding boards to improve my writing but also improve my thoughts. Blessed beyond anything my father, former minister and Uncle (who was a minister) could bestow upon me with teachings of the bible and religion. Sharing and giving spirits abound here. Yes, I agree the benefits always came to me even when I didn't come into them. I had to go away and they came knocking looking for me. This has been one of the greatest things I have done and I just wish I would have found FS a long time ago. I wish I could have learned at a younger age. So thank you for spending the time to review my poem, to offer your input and state clearly how you feel about this adored forum. I love Fan Story and what it has to offer. I am a huge cheerleader to newbies and people even if they are reluctant. I try to get them to see I am harmless and non-threatening. That I have no quid pro quo! Just like the ones that helped me - and pay forward always offering the knowledge that I acquired. I hope more will see that it will move and come back to you (kindness, helpfulness and offering the positivity). I adore your review! Thank you for writing it and thank you for reading my poem.
Comment from Sally Law
This is beautifully penned, dear Fonda and such wise advice. I am not sure who the FanStory teacher is here, but she sounds very much like Yvette. I can hear those words coming out of her mouth.
I'm so glad those wise words comforted you and prompted you to write. I have a black leather coat almost identical to this one still hanging in the guest room closet.
Sending you my best today with a big hug,
Sal xo
P.S. The font was hard to read (with my horrible eyesight) and when I magnified it, it was blurred. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I thought I would mention it. I want this read and reviewed! :+)
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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This is beautifully penned, dear Fonda and such wise advice. I am not sure who the FanStory teacher is here, but she sounds very much like Yvette. I can hear those words coming out of her mouth.
I'm so glad those wise words comforted you and prompted you to write. I have a black leather coat almost identical to this one still hanging in the guest room closet.
Sending you my best today with a big hug,
Sal xo
P.S. The font was hard to read (with my horrible eyesight) and when I magnified it, it was blurred. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I thought I would mention it. I want this read and reviewed! :+)
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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FIRST - BIG HUGS back to you!!! Thank you kindly! I am really taken with the responses... and I also have loved reading the reviews it has taken me a while because certain ones - like yours, I have more than just mere thank you's to state.
I'm so sorry Sally,
I know I should have fixed it! I knew there was an issue with it, but here's the thing... I had to let it fly... Sometimes you let stuff go because of time restrictions and that is what I did. Every time I get too dang creative, I leave out someone - usually, the visual aspects of my font seem to be an issue - I can't figure out what Melissa (Sugarray99) does to get her font and pictures so big - I've been trying to do it this whole time. You know Mike Cahill, he was trying to help me too way back - so the suffering - I apologize profusely and I always try to make my fonts big but when the dang graphics thingy and advanced editor force font sizes smaller when I have captured something at a set ratio - I cannot fix it. Waaah!
Also, you are the most intuitive and of course knew who I was speaking of!!!
YM gave me this advice back in June - I really was blown away by what she had said. Small words took on some big changes in me. Do you remember how sad and depressive all my writing was when I first started and how I was trying to dig out of the negative? Well, I took it to a back room and locked it away and although the FS side would see it from time to time, I didn't live in it as much until big things or anniversary's roamed or loomed. I have more homage to pay to YM for sure - I didn't do big author notes for her as I normally do with my grateful tour and there is a reason... I have some other things in my arsenal... But those are in the back room for now. I have to mind my repetitive motion and such for a while. I will work on catching up on KRS123's lessons in advanced editor till I find the glitch that keeps messing with my HTML life! I am an old dog with old tricks that keeps trying to force them into the new tech. I might even need to ask Dean at some point if he is doing better. I don't know but I do apologize profusely again!
I am 1,000 times grateful for your review of my work always and so happy to have you supportive of me and look forward to reading more of you this weekend! Cheers, Fonda
Those wise words did more than just comfort me, they have changed the entire remainder of my life's direction...
I have two words for everyone that knows me, I will mention "Grief Relief."
You know how they smell then and you know how they feel and you know what it is like when you put it on. There is a lot of sensory attached to it all.
I may re-promote this at a later time, but for now, it is off-listing. The contest closes tonight. I will hope that the people that matter the most to me have read it and I am floored with the reception. Thank you again for your review. I am very grateful. Cheers, Fonda
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No worries, my dear girl. My eye problems are a buggar and give me grief! Just hate to miss good stuff. XO
Comment from Janetsue
It is heart-warming to learn that a FanStory member has helped you so much with handing your grief in this positive way. It is wonderful, as well, that you have written about it in this rhyming poem for the contest. I hope it is going to be widely read and the advice you are passing on is able to be as helpful to many others that you will probably never know about. It is a worthy posting with a lot of wisdom that can assist those in great need of comfort.
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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It is heart-warming to learn that a FanStory member has helped you so much with handing your grief in this positive way. It is wonderful, as well, that you have written about it in this rhyming poem for the contest. I hope it is going to be widely read and the advice you are passing on is able to be as helpful to many others that you will probably never know about. It is a worthy posting with a lot of wisdom that can assist those in great need of comfort.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Hi Spangle,
It is funny you should offer this concern in your review.
Thank you so kindly, I am very grateful for what you offer here. YM gave the advice. She's extraordinary and there's more to come... in my gratitude for her.
"Grief Relief" are the two words I will mention for now.
YM changed my life drastically as a result of what her advice was, there are still many things happening with me that you may not have knowledge about, but I will be passing on when I can. I will have to probably repost this particular poem down the road. Thank you again for the lovely review. It made me smile from ear to ear.
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I am very glad to know that my comments about your posting have been an uplift. Some times we are fortunate and can grab hold of a positive when it floats by and savor it for a long time. :-)
Comment from CrystieCookie999
Out of the ordinary rhyming poem. I like the way you pick words that usually don't pop up in rhyming poems, like "exercisable" and "recognizable" especially. I was trying to decide if the reference to sitting with the pain for a while was a Jewish sitting shiva thing or just an understandable reaction to grief. Maybe the pockets of the coat hold the memories, as well. Thank you for sharing.
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Out of the ordinary rhyming poem. I like the way you pick words that usually don't pop up in rhyming poems, like "exercisable" and "recognizable" especially. I was trying to decide if the reference to sitting with the pain for a while was a Jewish sitting shiva thing or just an understandable reaction to grief. Maybe the pockets of the coat hold the memories, as well. Thank you for sharing.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Thank you so kindly, I am very grateful for what you offer here. YM gave the advice. She's extraordinary and there's more to come... in my gratitude for her.
I personally have never sat shiva, but I know what that is.
I do know people who have. If I look back at a time in my life it might not have been a formal shiva and thinking about it - had I sat shiva, maybe if I had allowed it to last 7 days upfront it would have been easier... I didn't have an understandable reaction to grief. And some people don't. I had an intellectual's reaction to grief and then the emotional reaction. As a result, I suffered for years in a way that wasn't quite comforted. Until a brilliant mind put it together for me. For years as a mom, I was the strong one for my son - I never fell apart because I was my son's only parent. I had more than just memories, I had smells and tastes and songs, and places. They all hurt different times of the year, and I buried them. But this coat was something that allowed me to let it off my shoulders and look at it - admire it - almost like when I want to sit shiva I can and give it its full grief - then when I am done with that aspect of my emotions, I might put it up on the hook and or away so I don't have the reminder in my face or weighing me down. It is always there for me to access if I truly thought that I needed to. I take great strides with my vocabulary and always have. Thank you again for your review and your praise - I'm very grateful.
Comment from Janice Canerdy
The questions about how to deal with grief have always abounded. There is a wide range of ideas. Fortunate people, like you, sometimes find a way to make the grief more bearable--perhaps through good advice. Very moving piece
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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The questions about how to deal with grief have always abounded. There is a wide range of ideas. Fortunate people, like you, sometimes find a way to make the grief more bearable--perhaps through good advice. Very moving piece
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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Thank you kindly for this review and your insights.
Comment from Hitcher
It is an interesting Idea and I'm sure if it has worked for you then it will work for others too. Does that mean when you are feeling stronger and ready to brave the memories you get to put on that coat and embrace them ? Definitely a thought provoking offering.
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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It is an interesting Idea and I'm sure if it has worked for you then it will work for others too. Does that mean when you are feeling stronger and ready to brave the memories you get to put on that coat and embrace them ? Definitely a thought provoking offering.
Comment Written 13-Aug-2019
reply by the author on 15-Aug-2019
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My concept is I'm taking off the grief and placing it on the hook in the coat. If I feel that I need to embrace the memories that have both the good and the bad, then I can put the coat on my shoulders, but I don't have to have it weighing me down every day moving forward. I hope that helps with a further explanation. Thank you for asking and your kind review.
