Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

oh, oh, oh, oh,

Welcome home. I'm Dr. Tama, a minister, licensed psychologist, and sacred artists.

And this is Homecoming, a podcast to facilitate your journey home to yourself.

While I will provide weekly inspiration and mental health tips, this

podcast is not a substitute for therapy. I'm so excited you're on the journey. If you

want to request specific topics or share your progress, email me at homecoming

podcast at gmail.com. Also after you listen, be sure to like, subscribe, and share. Let's begin.

Welcome home, co-journers.

Glad to have you with us for another episode, I'm excited we have a poetry submission from

Catherine Speering and those of you who are writing poems about your homecoming journey. You can send it to me at homecoming

podcast at gmail.com. I would love to read them and with your permission to share it with

our co-journer collective. And so Catherine's

peace on her homecoming is called The Gift. I'm in a dusky green meadow with waving bending grass. A little girl approaches, a girl I know so well.

Standing there in front of me, her face reflects my own.

In her hands, she holds a box, wrapped with string and bow,

all at once I'm crying, speaking to the girl. I'm sorry that they hurt you for the fearful life you had.

I'm sorry you were happy, but beneath it all was sad. I wish I could have saved you and told you how to fight. I wish I could

have held you while you shed tears in your bed at night.

The little girl takes my hand, eyes a shiny blue.

Inside this box, I have a gift for you. I take the box on rapid slow. My hands a trembling mess. What memory will the box reveal? I lift the lid with dread. I gasp a bit, surprise delight. I smile at the girl, she

smiles back and hops away calling. Say what you want to say. My heart

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