My Body Hasn’t Always Felt Like Home

Denise ElysaAbout Denise Elysa, Chronic Illness & Healing, Creative Writing, Lived Experience Leave a Comment

I live in a body that for much of my life has not felt like home. These days I often don’t recognize it. I’d be lying if I said I never wince at its sight. It doesn’t look like the body that I worked so hard for, so many years ago. The clothing that used to feel most comfortable, no …

I couldn’t have done this 6 months ago; Reflections on Lyme disease, Complex Chronic Diseases and how far I’ve come.

Denise ElysaAbout Denise Elysa, Lived Experience Leave a Comment

Barefoot on the earth, morning sun on my face, chicory and dandelion “cappuccino” in hand, bees in the flowers – all things I’m grateful for this morning.  This moment had me reflecting on the early days of my health journey when I was first diagnosed with Lyme disease and co-infections in my early 20’s. A lot of my dialogue around …

I heard myself in another Mother today

Denise ElysaAbout Denise Elysa, Creative Writing Leave a Comment

I heard myself in another mother at the beach today. The gentle but firm, almost cautious tone.The endless listening as her child did not respond to her questions but continued to share the internal mental dialogue that was running in his mind.The timers, and gentle reminders.The carefully expressed, calculated front loading.The patience and softness in her heart as it was …

Baptized by Nature

Denise ElysaAbout Denise Elysa, Creative Writing Leave a Comment

I woke today with a call from my soul. It was time to be baptized, again, by nature.The tide was not on my sideButThe earth, she still holds me when water can’t.The sand, she still grounds me; and the energy of the tide going outWater returning to her sourceWith it, it pulls what is ready to be released from me …