Let Your Heart Speak!

Ellenora Williamson trembled, as the tears ran down her cheeks, while the coroner Dr. Mitchelle Sylvester, questioned her about the sudden death of her only child.

“No drugs were found in her system or anything unusual. She was a healthy female with no health issues. She didn’t kill herself because there were no marks on her body. I can’t determine a cause of death,” he explained.

Ellenora blew her nose, wiped her eyes, and asked, “How was her heart?”

“Now that’s the part I don’t understand,” he stressed staring at her weirdly. “She is only twenty-eight years old according to her birth certificate, with no history of heart problems, or any other diseases, but her heart has aged more than twice her age.”

Nodding as more tears rushed down, Ellenora explained, “She kept everything bottled up inside her heart.”

“What kind of pain would age a young heart?” Dr. Slyvester asked.

“The one that couldn’t speak,” Ellenora wept. “She kept everything inside and refused to allow her heart to speak.”

“You mean get therapy for whatever was adding to the pain in her heart? That would be the best outlet,” Dr. Sylvestor suggested.

“Her husband and daughter’s death was very painful for her,” Ellenora informs.

“Therapy, why didn’t you get some for her,” Dr. Sylvester repeats.

“She was the one driving the car and she was drunk,” Ellenora said weeping.

“Damn!” slide from Dr. Sylvester’s heart through his mouth. “She needed something stronger.”

“She needed to let her heart speak,” Ellenora said as tears poured down.

“But what would it say?” he asked.

“Anything and everything,” Ellenora shared, wiping her eyes. The pain her body was reeling in, the tears refused to stop. “She needed an outlet that would not restrict freedom. She needed Freedom of speech. Freedom of expression. Freedom of judgment. Freedom from criticism. Freedom from blame. One that allows freedom from guilt. Giving her a reason to recover, move on, and hope, that would allow her to want to live,” Ellenora recalled the last conversation she had with her daughter.

“If only her heart could speak,” he said in deep thought. “She should have kept a journal!”

s!” Ellenora said wiping tears away.

“The American Heart Association says:

Trauma, depression, anxiety, and stress can lead to changes that can affect your health, and not just because you may fall into habits that are bad for your heart.

When you experience depression, anxiety, or stress your heart rate and blood pressure rise, there’s reduced blood flow to the heart and your body produces higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.”

He quoted the American Heart Association.

https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/mental-health-and-wellbeing/how-does-depression-affect-the-heart

“And everyone knows that stress is a killer,” Ellenora said, wiping away more tears while wishing she could do the same for the pain and regret that held onto her heart.

“Then she should allow her heart to speak!” Dr. Sylvester said in regret.

“I must make mine speak if I want to survive her death, along with my only grandchild,” Ellenora's heart aching with regrets said.

The American Heart Association is right. Trauma affects the heart in ways most humans can’t understand.

LET YOUR HEART SPEAK!

Let the Palestinian heart speak!

Let the Israeli heart speak!

Let the Ukranian Heart speak!

Let the Russian heart speak!

Let the poor and wealthy hearts speak!

Let the heart in pain speak!

Let the hearts fighting for unity, justice, equality, peace, love, and positive things speak!

Let the broken heart speak!

Let the hearts enduring all forms of disability speak!

Let those facing obstacles, challenges, trials, and, tribulations speak!

Let the hearts going through heaven and hell speak!

Let the grateful and ungrateful heart speak!

Let the happy heart that share their love and happiness speak!

Let the kind heart speak!

Let the healing heart speak!

Let the hopeless and the hopeful heart speak!

Let the negative heart speak!

Let the heart in bondage speak!

LET EVERY HEART SPEAK!

Image by Annelise Lords

If your heart could speak, what would it say?

If your heart could speak, what would it say?

This journal will be available for sale on February 14, on St. Valentine’s Day on Draft2Digital, Amazon, and other platforms.

For better Mental Health, let your heart speak!

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it.