Amazing Writing Class

Three years ago, I found myself in the middle of strangers, all of us, attending a writing class taught by a wonderful teacher, Barbara Gonzales. I was apprehensive and self-conscious at first, mainly because I didn’t know how to write, and we were asked to write about our families and ourselves and share them with the class. I was terrified at the thought that I would be sharing very personal things to people I’ve just met. But then when my classmates started reading their pieces, I realized that each has his own story to tell and those that wrote the truth were the best writers.

I went to that writing class 3 years ago, my classmates are no longer strangers. They all have sad, funny and memorable but altogether beautiful stories to tell. I have learned that writing can be learned and though I am still self-conscious most of the time when it comes to writing I think I have found my voice.

To show you what I mean by finding my voice, I am sharing my graduation piece…

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…
The song of my father,
My lullaby and wake-up call,
The song of Aunt Joy’s wedding,
Uncle Guillermo’s funeral,
Juan Rafael’s christening,
The song for all occasions,
The song of every generation.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…
The song of my father,
A quiet man, humble and simple,
In a family of strong Christian faith he was raised.
He doesn’t curse; he doesn’t lie,
Mother complains that he’s just so nice.
Too nice to ask for the raise he deserves,
Too nice to fight for the land that is his,
Too nice to say no for his family’s sake.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…
The song of my father,
The song he sings to himself
When mother is angry
With him and with her daughters,
Over the bills and her job.
He doesn’t shout, he doesn’t fight,
With a quiet prayer and amazing Grace
He patiently waits until peace comes back.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…
The song of my father,
The song he taught my mother to sing,
To calm her down when she’s worried about
The mortgage, the house, the store, her daughters,
About everything.
The song that my mother is still learning
Has been learning … for almost 30 years.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…
The song of my father,
The song that woke me up in my hospital bed,
When I was six.
I crossed the street and was hit by a car,
I awoke the next day with
My father’s hand holding mine,
I saw tears on his cheeks,
And heard his shaky voice singing and praying
And then I knew that I was saved through Grace.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…
The song of my father,
When his youngest daughter became a doctor,
And I, his eldest, got married.
The song we sing because of grief or joy,
Lack or contentment, triumph or failure,
The song that delivered us through many dangers,
A song of love, faith and hope that endures,
The song that keeps us all together.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…
The song of my father,
The song of his two daughters,
The song my mother is still learning to sing,
His grandchild’s lullaby and wake-up call,
Our family’s song,
The song for all occasions and every generation.

Barbara Gonzales continues to teach writing, if you want to learn how to write, if you’re looking for ways to be creative or if you’re on the road to self-discovery or if you have nothing else to do, I encourage you attend this class. A new basic writing class will start on April 23, 2005, if you’re interested, e-mail barbara@lilypadlectures.com.