Creative Healing

Some people come into our lives for a short while, some to teach us lessons, and some to stay forever. Ten years ago, I joined a weekly creative writing class at the Senior Center. Our teacher, Teri Crane, was a plain, down-to-earth, kind, and intelligent woman. She taught us to use adjectives skillfully and engage all five senses so readers could see, hear, taste, touch, and feel our stories.

We didn’t just improve our writing. We reflected on our feelings, understood our lives more deeply, and relived treasured memories. We wrote about our first bike, first crush, first car, and first child. We celebrated milestones together. Through her stories, we met Teri the daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, traveler, die-hard Dodgers fan, and gifted writer. She was my mentor, and thanks to her, many of my pieces were published.

I also took Teri’s “Conscious Aging” class. With her calm demeanor and compassion, we navigated tough topics and endured the challenges of COVID-19. We faced family issues, illness, and loss. Over a decade, our joys and sorrows became an open book to one another.

Teri had been a beloved schoolteacher and held a PhD in psychology, yet she remained a lifelong learner—always taking classes, always seeking wisdom. She embodied the lesson to never judge a book by its cover: understated, authentic, and brimming with passion for life.

Inspired by her, my fellow writers and I will honor Teri’s legacy by continuing to meet at the same place and time. Our writing will be a therapeutic, creative act of healing. We will compile our collective work into a book for her daughter, a tribute that will mean as much to us as it does to her.

Farewell, Teri. I hope you’ve moved on to write your next chapter. Make it a good one.

Naomi Young has been teaching in Santa Clarita, with over forty-three years of experience in Jewish studies and bar/ bat mitzvah training. She is also a seasoned writer and multimedia artist. You can reach her via email at naomiyoung7@yahoo.com or explore her creative endeavors on her website: www.naomiyoung.com

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