Patricia Shennum

I was born and raised in Southern California with a strong Scandinavian heritage. I've had twenty four years of teaching special and regular education in Santa Barbara county and Guam. I’ve got masters degrees in special education and behavioral sciences. Guam is located in the southern Mariana islands very near the International Dateline. I taught elementary school in Guam for four years. It was easy to become entirely absorbed in the local culture. I've traveled most of the Polynesian islands most notably Western Samoa and the Cook islands. A good deal of my poetry, journal writing and photography began on these gems of paradise. It’s been a wonderful privilege to work and live with the native children. They were not spoiled with the high tech world we live in today. I've been writing poetry for longer than I can remember. Writing was my saving grace. Being quiet and shy, it was my way of communicating in which others could understand. I have tragically lost three children in three entirely different ways. My story is a documentation of how and why I'm Still Here. It's important to me to share some of the ways I took in order to get where I am today. This is my first published book. I’ve had some hesitation in sharing my story. It's not my intent to bring sadness but to bring hope, understanding and strength to others with similar challenges. The words to the song Hold Tight are interwoven throughout the book. The lyrics were written by my son Mark,r.i.p. It is my hope I can inspire others with similar tragic backgrounds that there really can be tomorrow. The Hold Tight words alone keep me going to this very day. I love poetry, photography, family, music, sports, island travel, Labrador retrievers and Mother Nature.