Mary Lemmond “‘Building a Good Day” (essay

Spring 2022

ative writing teacher. I felt so comfortable with her; she made me love writing even more. I was a great student in that class with the best grades. I never felt more at home. She encouraged me so much that I was even confident enough to enter my poetry into a poetry slam! One of my favorite poems I ever wrote was about my mom, of course, and it seems that I am always inspired by that amazing woman. Here it is, just one of the many:

I Remember I remember how happy you were I remember how happy you looked I remember what made you happy And I also know that you weren’t always happy I remember how sad you were I remember how sad you looked I remember what made you sad Even though I was bad, you were always there for me, best mother anyone could have You were the greatest in the world; no one could replace you or even come close Oh! Your beautiful soul I miss most What you were able to give me in our short time together, was everything I needed to make it without you I will always remember your love and how the last time I spoke to you, you said, “I love you,” and I said, “I love you, too.” My favorite memories are the ones with you laughter, love, hugs, kiss; all out of the blue Now you’re gone but you will never be forgotten. Mom, I love you.

Then, after the school year was over, Ms. Tamez moved across the country, just like that, and I was alone again. As a writer I knew that I never needed a person to talk to because I always had my pen. I am thankful for my struggles as well as my successes because I am who I am today from them.

Now, onto 2015, nearly five years after losing my mom, I did not change much when it came to communication. I still did not like to talk to people. At that point in my life I was eighteen years old, so I knew that something was going to have to change to maintain my job and finish school. I wrote, and wrote, and wrote some more until I was able to get by in my daily life.

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Ridgeline Review

Writing made me comfortable; even just a small amount of writing a day kept the “mental health” doctors away. Writing is my savior and therapist. I really enjoy it, aside from needing it to cope in my daily life. I absolutely love to do it. Writing is a form of language between reader and writer.

Do you ever read something and feel so connected to it? Or something sad, and you tear up? Or something funny, and you laugh? I feel like writing with a pen is more fun than having to type up a paper. I must have a pen! A pen makes me feel calm and collected throughout my day. If I need to vent about something that is bothering me, it is best if I write because I let out everything on that piece of paper with that ink, then immediately I feel relieved. I am sure we all have something we use to comfort ourselves; mine just so happens to be a pen.

As an adult, I still write. I just happen to be stronger and better when communicating. In this very life that I have chosen for myself, I am who I want to be. I have had this silly pen with me for as long as I can remember, throughout the wins and the losses. I will never give up writing, I will not quit on my dream of having my work published. One day you will read about me — one day you will read what my pen wrote. My pen is my friend, and the best thing about it is that this connection will never end.

Lamb on the Hill

Caitlin Daugherty 56