Writing was never a choice for me. I needed it like I needed to breathe.

Time only proved how true that sentiment was for me. In the storms that inevitably thundered through my life, I found great solace in writing. It was in the very depths of me—in the darkness of my shadows and the brightness of all that was good, and everything in between. It was because of those experiences, paired with my love of writing, that I found myself at the doors of Fairweather Tower.

The people I met at that senior centre were extraordinary. Each week, I guided them through a therapeutic writing lesson, which largely consisted of talking rather than writing, though we did plenty of that too. I would start the conversation, and they would take it away from there, connecting with each other and sharing things they’d kept inside all their lives. There was understanding, acceptance, and healing in those classes. I will never forget the lasting effect they had on me.

On the last day of class, I showed up, heavily pregnant, and with arm splints for my carpal tunnel. I was in the stages of pregnancy where I just wanted to sleep, eat chocolate, and wait for the baby to arrive. However, stepping into that classroom was always the highlight of my week.

“We have something for you,” Harriet said. She was a small woman of eighty, blue eyes as bright as her smile and a beautiful crown of silver hair formed a halo around her head. I laughed in delight as another one of my students placed a cake before me: a circle of vanilla, frosted with white buttercream frosting and trimmed with light blue and matching buttercream flowers. In that same blue frosting was inscribed, “Congratulations on your baby boy!”

“Thank you so much! This is so sweet!” My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.

“Thank you for teaching this class, "Harriet said. “We’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss all of you. So much.” I looked down at the cake to stop myself from crying. I supposed I could always blame it on the pregnancy.

When that final class ended, there were many tearful goodbyes, but as I walked out the door, I took one last look at Fairweather Tower, forever changed and so very grateful that it was a chapter in my life. I will never forget it.