Having what I write read and enjoyed by others delivers
tremendous satisfaction, leaving this young journalist with a
real sense of accomplishment.
The feelings I've experienced in my short time as a rookie
reporter with Northern Life are now mutual ones I can now share
with my Nana, one that has brought us closer, especially this
Mother's Day.
For nearly a decade, Rhona Thompson, a mother, grandmother
and great-grandmother, expressed her thoughts, memories and
reflections on life and family through poetry, compiling what
she guesses must be at least a couple hundred pieces.
During this time, she gathered her poems and published a
pair of books, each with a number of revised editions, on
spirituality and nature,  her two dominant themes and
sources of inspiration when she puts pen to paper.
While her books did sell, Rhona gave most of them away. She
gave them to family and friends, many who she hadn't seen in
years, who came to visit her while she fought through two bouts
of breast cancer.
First diagnosed in 1985, her illness helped light a creative
fuse that fueled her poetry. It also made her realize she
wanted to have something that would last, something that people
would remember her for.
"I think all of these are thoughts I've had over the years
but never put them down on paper and suddenly I felt I had to,"
she explained.
Rhona said the best part about putting her poetry into books
was  feedback she would get from her readers, whether they
were a close friend or a complete stranger.
She enjoyed knowing what she poured from her soul was being
enjoyed by others.
"It seemed to satisfy me when somebody got something out of a poem that I wrote," she said.
"Whenever someone said, 'I really like your poem,' it really
made me feel good.
"They all appreciated them and they were so surprised that I
could write poetry because it wasn't a talent I had when I was
younger."
A loving mother, Rhona's first poem was, ironically enough,
called Grandchildren. She still has a framed copy hanging
inside her home.
I think most of her grandchildren have received a birthday
card from Nana and Grandpa many years ago with that poem jotted
on the inside.
The inspiration for Grandchildren came while relaxing on a
houseboat on Lake Nipissing with a pair of her grandkids,
though she can't recall which ones, on board for a visit.
"The next morning I wrote this poem," she said. "From then
on, anything that touched my heart I'd write a poem about
it...sometimes it would take me two or three days to finish
one, but I enjoyed doing it."
Without thinking about it, inspiration struck more and more
often, compelling her to get her poetic thoughts down on paper.
"I remember the day I wrote Spring Song, I was sitting and
looking out the window and it was a day when spring was coming,
but it was still like winter outside," she said.
"Anything like that would get me going and I'd write
something."
A sunset, a piece of music, the houseboat or even a bed-side
visit from a friend in the hospital were all inspirations to
write.
"When I look at them now, I think I sure didn't have much on
my mind other than writing poetry," she laughs.
Although she doesn't write poems anymore, citing her health
and an unwillingness to repeat herself, Rhona is grateful for
her fleeting talent.
"I sat out on the deck and I tried to think of something
that I hadn't written about and there just wasn't anything,"
she said. "I think I wrote about everything that moved me or
touched my heart so there was no point in writing another
Spring Song or Winter Wondering.
"I'm just so glad that I had that gift for a while."
So am I.
Jason Thompson is a reporter at Northern Life. He is responsible for much of the content on NorthernLife.ca.  He graduated from the journalism program at Durham College last year.
