The Stories of Lyla Lynn

By Lyla Lynn

I was wandering lost, or so I thought. In reality it's  been a beautiful journey through life. Writing has always been here, a friend in the dark and the light. Poetry has helped me to make the ugliest moments beautiful. Ink and paper is my paint and canvas

 

This is a collection of stories and poems written based on the wild ride life has given me so far; from my childhood to teenage angst, love and heartbreak and struggles with mental health and my faith. It's my journey, a rocky one at times to finding my feet in this crazy world.

 

It's been a wild ride so far and my hope is this book will serve to inspire and entertain whoever reads it. Maybe even help some people to feel like they aren't alone in their struggles, if you can relate to mine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lyla Lynn
• Release date: Apr 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201688578

Lyla Lynn

Lyla Lynn is the pen name for a young woman who resides in Surrey, BC. She is a Christian, a busy mom, friend, bible study teacher and has always had a passion for writing. She writes short stories and poetry based on circumstances she has experienced in her own life; her journey through finding herself amidst trials of mental health struggles, parenting, love, loss, heartache, addiction, trauma and the journey to healing. She hopes that readers will be able to relate to some of her work, know that they aren't alone in their struggles and experiences. This life is a journey, we all have our own destinations and no real timeline. You can find her work on Poetizer as well as on Instagram.

Book preview

Childhood

People see photos - current and old - and always say what a sweet girl. They tell me that I’m beautiful and that I seem so sweet and all these positive things. What they don’t see is the experiences -sometimes stupidity- that helped to shape the lady you see today or even the layers below all that sweetness and beauty.

I was fortunate in many ways through my childhood and early teen years. I went to a great daycare where I had friends and my workers were all amazing, loving people! I had a best friend in elementary school that had blonde hair just like me and we often wore the same outfits without meaning to. I grew up in the 90’s when grunge rock was popular and peanut butter was a thing you were allowed to eat for lunch at school.  The 90’s were the good ol’ days when computers were not what they are now, a pager or work phone was how I contacted my dad at work! A life free of the pains of social media and modern technology. I got to enjoy life and the world around me, not constantly distracted.

I was in Sparks then Brownies. I attended Jazz dance classes and always looked forward to the annual competition where we got to be in a costume.

My dad and I shared a birthday which was always made special. Every year we have done something together and taken a photo. We have 32 of them now.

Some days I dreamed of being a teacher, instructing my class of stuffed animals. Other days I dreamed of being a famous singer and sometimes would imagine doing a show from the greenhouse platform in the yard. This dream didn’t die til I was a teen. I loved singing and loved performing, often putting on shows with friends at gatherings my dad and I attended. I even joined a competition choir at one point. Sure, my childhood was a bumpy road in some regards but it was wonderful! Though I do remember my dad wasn’t fond of my volunteering us to watch the class guinea pig for the summer at the end of Grade 1, I sure got a stern talking to, a-ha!

Fun Fact: I loved spelling and had a knack for it from a young age. I often would bring a dictionary to gatherings my dad brought me to and asked people to pick ANY word and I’d spell it. More often than not getting it correct. My dad said people were often amazed at my ability to read and spell from the age of 5-ish onward. The one my grandfather loved to get me to spell was antidisestablishmentarianism. Funny enough, I now struggle with that one mostly because of its length.

In between all the cheerful memories of talking on my corded house phone while dad made dinner, spending time with friends and making memories at daycare and with my dad were the not-so-great days. I always hated that as a way to keep me in my room my dad had a lock on the outside of my door, only used for time outs but I remember spending those short but so long minutes plotting if I could escape through the window. Halloween was always fun although when I dressed as a devil my mom and her family, Christians, were very concerned and outraged. My mom and dad battled in court over custody of me for much of my childhood. I don’t remember it all but I remember visits with social workers who would pull me out of class and do ice cream with me, we’d sit in the counseling office while they asked me questions, acting like they were a friend. One year when I was 8 or 9, my mom failed to return me after having me for spring break. If I recall correctly, I said I’d rather live with her but in all fairness, as a child I wouldn’t have said anything to disappoint either mom or dad. And as a result, I was bounced from one relative's home to another for about a week. Then I sat in a police station with a counselor who gave me a teddy bear, I guess it was classified as parental abduction. What a mess. I remember the last time I saw a social worker it was close to my 10th birthday and she asked where I’d rather live, what a horrible question to ask a child. Other than all the chaos that came from the custody dispute my childhood was good.

Summer was always a blast. I remember my dad making huge bubbles with a string bubble wand type of thing, I remember playing in the sprinkler, changing bathing suits