So here I am late at night, on October 14, 2015, and I just became a Premium Member. I couldn't be happier to be a part of something so amazing. Since I have started posting poems on Poetry Soup, I have had a renewed sense of passion for writing. I started writing simple poems in 4th grade (Basically poems of boys I had crushes on that particular day). That's about the time I started journaling. To this day I still keep a journal but now it's saved on my hard drive. I have over 36 journals since 1990. As I got older, my poetry started taking a different avenue with the form of flow and style. My junior year of High School I won a poetry contest and it was published in a book consisting of over 250 pages of raw poetry from high school students all over the country. My old school uses that book in English Literature class as of 2000. Needless to say, it was at that exact moment I heard the wind whisper my name and I felt my passion for writing has gone far beyond a high school class collection book. I met my husband in 1995 (at age 15) and have been together ever since. Over 20 years to be exact, and I am only 35 years old. My love and our passion for each other continues to grow daily. Our cute love relationship turned into marriage at age 22, and just celebrated 13 years last week. Most of my work is a reflection on the honest love we share as a couple and as an individual. He moves me in ways I never thought could happen. I love him as deep as the deepest sea's flow, and the most beautiful part of this story is that I know he feels the same about me. Over the years we have been keeping our own special "Nick & Laura" journal. Whenever we feel like expressing our feelings we keep it in that journal. We've collected over 1,200 cards and love letters. I know one day my daughter will grow up and learn about "true love". She sees it everyday as we communicate and respect each other the way we do in everyday activities. Being together for 2o years has given us so many cherish able memories. With that, we have faced a ton of trials, loss, money hardship, and brokenness. When I write about him words alone can not be expressed and that is why I am constantly writing about him or us as one unit. We have lost 2 sisters, 4 grandparents, 5 cousins and 2 friends over the span of 20 years. But, one thing I have definitely learned is that I can turn a "lesson" into a "blessing. I have no choice but to keep moving forward and trust my faith in the Lord will carry me through, as He always has done. I am so humbled because I know where I came from, and where I am today. I enjoy reading all the poems you guys post. Most of my time is reading and commenting because I enjoy it so much. I am learning so much also. I have never really had proper "schooling" on writing poetry, but I am slowly learning. I hope my poems will convey my utmost passion for my life, loss and love. My inspiration comes from a deep core inside my heart, and from all you poets on Poetry Soup. So thank you very much for all your kind comments, my confidence is slowly peeking through. I am still a tiny bit insecure because I have never had anyone really read my poems except my family and my husband. It's so refreshing to see everyone's views and beliefs are encouraging and I am grateful I stumbled upon this amazing group of talented poets. Thank you for reading my poems and be blessed. :) -Laura