Heart to Heart Poetry Greetings

Wanda Faye Portman is published in three anthologies by the International Library of Poetry. Her poems entitled Dreaming My Dreams is published in The Colors of Life, copyright 2003, as a compilation; I Love You is published in Collected Whispers, copyright 2008, as a compilation; and A Place Inside is published in The Best Poems and Poet of 2007, copyright 2008, as a compilation. On March 7, 2004, Faye was honored with an Outstanding Achievement Award in poetry for vision. In August 2010, Faye retired from the State of California, Fair Political Practices Commission. She began her career in state government in 1971 with the California Department of Justice and worked interchangeably with the private legal sector in Sacramento, California, including the state's legislature. At the end of the Brown Administration in 1982, she left her job with the California Department of General Services and discovered her poetic prowess. Although her work was strictly with formal correspondence, she expanded her knowledge in creative writing and writing for industry. Faye feels that her writing is from the heart and inspired by her family and friends. She began writing in the early 80s as a release of pent-up emotions. There was a thirty year period of time that she lost several family members and Faye feels that she really wasn't prepared to handle death and the loss of loved ones. This really is a part of life that is unfair. But nonetheless it existed in her world and weighed heavily on her mind. Faye says "When Hugh Grant came out with his movie Three Weddings and a Funeral, I had been to three funerals and I needed a wedding." Faye says "Whenever I come across an emotion that is hard to cope with I try to incorporate some inspiration to give the situation some light. We continuously live through hard times, and times of uncertainty, and it is easy to forget our purpose in life. Writing is one way I can share my feelings with others without showing the true emotion that I once felt to help them through the grieving process, which is a process that everyone must go through." Shakespeare once wrote, "'Tis better to have loved and lost, Than never to have loved at all." After writing Dreaming My Dreams to honor her brother, Jerry Randall Portman, Sr., who, after serving several tours in Viet Nam, lost his life during the Viet Nam War, and to honor other family members whom she had lost. Faye realized the importance of showing appreciation to our loved ones each and every day and subsequently wrote I Love You. Knowing that we are always searching for answers and ways to comfort ourselves, Faye wrote A Place Inside to further encourage her readers to seek peace, love, and understanding through their inner strengths. In 2001, while working for the California Department of Water Resources, and encouraged by her manager, Faye joined a Toastmasters club and began building her self-confidence. Publishing her poetry is directly related to the benefits of this program. There is A Place Inside each one of us that is destined for greatness. Search A Place Inside to find your true meaning in life. Carl Jung said "Your vision will become clear only when you can look inside your own heart. He who looks outside dreams; he who looks inside awakes." View all posts by wandafayeportmanpoeticinspiration