I choose life - A poem

Recently, I said to my husband Simon, 'I thought I was going to die.' He replied, 'I thought you were going to die.' In the midst of being desperately ill, I wrote this poem for my children. What began as a eulogy - in case I wasn't able to let my two beautiful daughters know some of the simple stuff about me - soon morphed into a mantra of positivity; as I shifted into believing this disease would not take me, I was going to live to tell them myself.




I choose life.

I choose love.

I choose Simon, our girls, our life, our love.

I choose FREEDOM. Oneness and freedom.

I choose home and its heathland. Our amazing community.

I choose yellow and the power it can harness. Sunflowers.

I choose tip toeing through bluebells. 

I choose roses, freesias, peonies, sweet peas, olive trees, turning maple leaves.

I choose Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
I choose the rain on my windows.

I choose the beach, I choose Greece in all its simplicity.

I choose the Serengeti planes at sunset.

I choose New York City under the stars. I choose to map the stars.

I choose roast lamb with garlic and rosemary, and treacle sponge pud for afters.

I choose a really thick word search book.

I choose Calamity Jane, Grease, Dirty Dancing, LA LA Land and frankly any musical...

I choose fireworks and carols by candlelight. I choose tradition.

I choose a really daft joke.

I choose happiness all round.

I choose to dance. I want to dance again.

I choose to aim high. To shoot netball and to stretch in yoga.

I choose the memories of childhood.

I choose smiling. Making people smile.

I choose the gift of friendship.

I choose health. To know true health.

I choose never to give up.

I choose humanity, compassion and peace. The power that is connectedness, feeding love back to the planet.

I choose to hear laughter through the pain.

I choose slow and steady wins the race.

I choose to beat corona virus.

I choose to stay positive.

I choose my children’s smiles.

I choose to cherish and nurture their souls. And to polish my husband’s halo whenever possible.

And I choose to sing. SING. SING

I choose not to fester, nor to pester.

I choose beautiful and blessed.

I choose light.

I choose recovery.

I choose love.

I choose life.