Mellene Hederian

Treading Shallow Waters Mellene Hederian

Her mother always told her, "God only gives people what they can handle." Choosing to believe this philosophy and others like it such as, "Everything happens for a reason," has helped the author of this collection cope with family illness and tragic loss. Like moments of the grieving process itself, "Treading Shallow Waters" swings from anger to acceptance, as author Mellene Hederian reflects on losing both parents: her mother to pancreatic cancer in 1998 and her father to Alzheimer's in 2013. Through an eclectic collection of forty-six poems, "Treading Shallow Waters" addresses how the loss of a parent is inherently devastating and oddly empowering. This collection is a tribute to the power of poetry to heal and help; teach and inspire-- especially when even treading shallow waters seems impossible.