I Journey Through Memory, Self, and Devotion
Editorial Reflection on co-curating Issue 4 of the Wellspringwords® Literary Anthology | Love, Surrendered.
Giving yourself to the experience that is Love, Surrendered—to me—felt like journeying through memory where all my senses were most alive.
Each submission felt like stepping into an expanse, shedding my layers, and being seen. Seen for who I once was. Seen for who I yearned to be . . . how I yearned to be yearned. Seen for the strength I embodied to persevere into the survivor I am now. Seen for what makes me most spectacular and worthy. Seen for who I can be.
Voice, perspective, vulnerability, and self are strong within Love, Surrendered. I am grateful to have witnessed such raw truth and exploration of self, particularly as our artists took the risk to express love in forms beyond the cliché.
The terrifyingly beautiful thing about love is that it has no shape, master, or singular experience. It moves freely from one soul to the next, barring teeth in lessons we may or may not learn, soothing with sweeping caresses to warm even the coldest of nights, and putting us face to face with the depths of our souls. I desperately wanted to ride the full spectrum of this unique experience. I found myself on the edge of my seat while submissions rolled in, praying that our artists would understand the assignment, push themselves, and truly surrender.
They did.
This issue expertly encapsulates that wide range: sensuality, community, regret, becoming, desperation, growth, surrender, ancestry—cosmic, as I had remarked with a particular piece—, devotion, and pain.
Though pain is an expression present in this issue and a common consequence of surrendering, we find ourselves in community. Here, we honor how love interacts with us all. Find togetherness in the sorrows and rage that can lead us to a healing most profound in the collective understanding that we are not alone. As we do this, may we find comfort and permission in other pieces that urge us to celebrate ourselves, melt into grace, and see ourselves for who we truly are.
I am in a tumultuous season of life, rocked by joy and uneasiness by the hour. We’ve all been there. Right? But it just so happens that 4 is my lucky number, so this had to be a divine sign that this was exactly where I needed to be. The issue was uniquely healing for me in its unabashed vulnerability, curiosity, and expression. The world melted away, and I became a part of the narrative, sinking into whatever love is.
I asked myself countless questions while reading through our submissions and experiencing the intention behind our theme. From these questions came the realization that this issue is simply an invitation.
An invitation to strip yourself of your preconceived notions, to meet yourself with an open heart, to forgive and release, and to stand in your power, knowing of your worth, beauty, and ability to embrace a love that is kind, accepting, and transformative.
I invite you to get somewhere cozy (a bath, a fireplace, wherever you feel safest) and get lost as I did. Find yourself and say thank you when you do. Kiss your inner self on the forehead, take their hand, lead them to the next work of art in Love, Surrendered, and seek out the question(s) your own heart is asking. A truly magical journey is waiting for you.
With love,
