"Life is a gift - so live it to the fullest
Nothing is a given in this life."
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Poetic Thoughts in the Keys of Happiness by BAM Trafford Publishing
book review by C.D.
When it comes to love and relationships, Barbara Ann Murray is very clear about what she is looking for in a potential life mate. She is a strong and passionate individual with an open heart and has little tolerance for liars, cheaters, or men who play games. For this woman, communication is the key. She is not interested in a silent partner. As a dedicated teacher for over thirty years, Murray has reached a new milestone in retirement and now enjoys turning her thoughts into poetry.
In the aptly titled Poetic Thoughts in the Keys of Happiness, the focus is on the arc of love. Here personal writings draw on memories of unrequited love, love gone wrong, and connecting to someone new. In one portion of the book, Murray ponders the age-old question of true love's existence, where readers can consider the poet's contemplative suggestion that "True Love is not something you find, It is something you give." Murray places her poems within the context of her background, as she reveals many of the trials and tribulations she's dealt with throughout her life, i.e. major health issues, the death of her beloved father, a time of questioning her faith in God, and involvement in two serious automobile accidents. Complimentary to the theme of love and happiness, she includes idolic tributes and memorial dedications to family and friends who are clearly of major importance in her life.
Murray writes with the heartfelt emotion and honesty of someone searching for a true soul connection. Clearly she has learned from her experiences, and seems anxious to share the wisdom and insight she's gained from relationship failures. Her verses reveal some key points such as connecting mentally before physically, having a willingness to compromise, and staying in a partnership during the good times as well as the bad. Tapping into Murray's "keeping it real" approach could have readers believing that true love and happiness might be just around the corner.