Words Saved Me

Guest post by Shanyn Silinski

As I grew up, the written word enthralled me.  I loved, and still love, books.

Those of us who adore the written word often aspire to contribute to that body of writing.  Today, I write because it tells my story of faith (Strawberry Roan) and healing from abuse (Scarred Seeker) and celebrates my wonderful blessed life with my husband and son on our ranch (Mystic Mom).  I advocate for animals through another blog and co-admin and guest blog for others such as Emerging from Broken.

Writing, for me, is a huge healing tool. Poetry, prose, well-considered rants and the crafting of my thoughts into visible words allow me to let God form and transform my words and my intent.  There are many times I’ve sat down to do a ‘slash and burn’ post and ended up with a poem that bares my heart in a raw way that touched so many people I never expected it to.  Instead of using my words for hurt, which I am capable of, I’ve worked hard to craft them for healing, for celebrating, for seeking joy.

I write because the words seem to flow from my soul, they rattle around in my mind and beg for release.  In a poem, in a blog, in an email or a comment.  I write because God blesses me with words, I write because I don’t think I could stop writing any more than my son could stop laughing or my husband could stop farming.  It is in us, a blessing not meant to be caged in our minds, but to be shared.

Last year I started writing my healing blog; it was terrifying to open up.  I was shocked, and awed, by the support I got.  Sure, I lost some friends and had family turn their backs on me. My story is a small part of my writing because I want it to be about the healing, finding a way through the stuff that wounds, scars and burns us.

So many great inspirations started writing as a therapeutic tool, as a way to express what they couldn’t verbally express, to get down on paper not just their story but their feelings, their healing and to have a record of them.

One of the things that we feel when we are in a dark place is that we don’t matter, that our voices have no value and will never be heard.  When we start healing and can start writing, even if it is for a small audience, we start hearing our voices.  We start getting support and feedback, we learn we are not alone.

We learn that this journey requires us to do our own work but we can have community around us that understands.  We can have those who know this place on the road, they understand how that feels.  The other day I discovered a whole area of healing that just burst upon me like a bubble; I noted the author about how he led me to another place where I could see I wasn’t alone. This monster I found wasn’t only in me, and it was conquerable.  Writing to heal helps us heal but it has the added blessing of helping others on the healing journey.

Wherever you are on this path, whatever gave you your scars in life, there are words that you can share and words being shared that can help, that can comfort and give us hope in breaking through to the healing which waits just on the other side.

Shanyn Silinski, Mama, wife, rancher, poet, advocate, photographer and survivor on a path of healing, voice finding and joy seeking. Shanyn has a published a book of poetry, has another almost done and has a number of blogs