“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it”
— Toni Morrison
The samples below are to give prospective clients a feel of my writing style. The writing I do is not limited to the topics, styles or formats these samples present. I can work within whatever style your project requires.
Memoir Sample Three
Each of our lives consists of single threads or moments in time, that weave expertly together to create a single tapestry. When you look at only the individual thread, it is difficult to see the importance of it until it has been integrated into the rich story of the whole piece.
I started to see my own strength and courage when I was pregnant with my first child. While most expectant mothers are making lists of baby names, setting up nurseries or getting ready for their baby showers, I was being rushed to the hospital with preeclampsia. I had ballooned from a pre-pregnancy weight of 140 to a dangerous high of 290. A team of 26 doctors and nurses checked my vitals around the clock, anxiously looking for signs of a change. There were two doctors in particular in charge of my care. Each morning they would come in my room and recite the results of the latest tests and give me their prognosis. They made it clear that my situation was very fragile. One doctor maintained a pragmatic and negative perspective on my case. He relied heavily on the statistical facts and would always remind me “I can’t guarantee anything. You need to be prepared for either you or the baby or both not making it.” It was clear that he was trying to prepare me for the worst case scenario. I had no doubt that the data was pointing to a very dire situation for the health of me and my baby.
Lying helplessly in a hospital bed with an all-consuming worry, I felt my hope slipping away. The fear that I could lose myself or the life of my baby left me with an intense weight that seemed to press down on me, leaving me tense with anxiety. The second doctor had the same test results, statistics and data as the first, but his presentation and attitude was distinctly different. He would tell me what the data pointed to, but felt very strongly that despite the grim outlook, he believed my outcome would be good. As he left the room each morning, he would say “I am praying for you every night.” While this gave me some sense of relief, this sentiment alone could not restore my hope. As my hope retreated, I felt my life draining away with it.
My husband must have recognized my spiral of despair because one day he brought me a Walkman, in the days before iPods. I would play my tape of Amazing Grace on repeat letting the sweet melody fill my mind and body. One day, while my tape was playing, the second doctor was checking in with me. asked what I was listening to. I told him, and he gave me a knowing look and said, “Isn’t He amazing?” His response gave me a moment of pause. It was such a simple thought, and yet it started working its way through my mind.
After lying in bed for weeks, with nothing but worry in my mind, the doctors words made me start considered how truly amazing God is, and a scripture came to mind, “Be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and supplication let your request be made known unto god, and the piece of god, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6) As the scripture played on repeat in my mind, I realized that my worry and anxiety served no purpose.
God had a plan that wasn’t for me to know yet, so I released my worry to Him. I closed my eyes and whispered; “God I am not longer going to be worried, anxious or concerned. Lord if it is for me to live or my son to live, I thank you, but it is my desire and my hope that we both will live.” As soon as the words left my lips, I started having contractions.
At the time, I had no idea what was happening. I felt a tightness in my belly and an aching pain that ran through my back. I pushed the button to call the nurse in and explained to her what I was feeling. A broad smile, with a tinge of worry broke across her face. “Those are contractions!” she said as she started calling in the doctors and other nurses. I started feeling my anxiety creeping back, but I repeated the scripture in my mind again.