Gaylene Guillemin hopes that readers can learn a few lessons from her own experiences.
Guillemin, who resides in Assiniboia, was at the Estevan Public Library on Wednesday to read from her book Beyond Shattered Dream. It discusses the illness her husband Mervin was diagnosed with in 2008, and his death in 2014, and how she coped with the grief.
鈥淗e was my world, and from that point on, there were so many life lessons that came my way, so much self-discovery, so much fear to overcome one step at a time,鈥� said Guillemin. 鈥淭here are so many life lessons that came from there. My hope is to pass it on to others so that they can empower themselves to take that one scary step at a time.鈥�
Guillemin said that when she was married, she went right from her parents鈥� home into her husband鈥檚 home, so she had to learn to count on herself for the first time in her life.
She hopes that people will try to surrender control of situations.
鈥淓ven when we were raising our kids, I always wanted to catch my kids before they fell, and my daughter would always say, 鈥榃ell, if you don鈥檛 let us fall, we鈥檙e never going to learn to get back up,鈥欌�� recalled Guillemin.
Now she understands she has no control over other people鈥檚 destinies. All she can control is her reactions to what is happening around her.
But the most important lesson in the book, she said, is the importance of self-love and self-empowerment, by taking those scary steps one at a time. People can鈥檛 be so hard on themselves.
鈥淏efore you can give anything back, you have to look after yourself, be kind to yourself, find time for yourself and look after yourself, and then you can give back to others,鈥� said Guillemin.
Each of her readings is different, because she will throw a few different lessons out for the audience.
Beyond Shattered Dreams is Guillemin鈥檚 first book. She visited a psychic medium three months after her husband died, and was told she would write a book. It was the last thing she thought she would ever do.
鈥淪he said the only one that鈥檚 going to stop you is you. And those were powerful words. So then I made up my mind not to let doubt talk me out of doing this book,鈥� said Guillemin.
Once the inspiration strikes her, Guillemin expects she will write another book.
鈥淚 am big on self-care and positivity, and if there is something I feel I need to share, then I think there will be another book in the future,鈥� said Guillemin. 鈥淣ot any time soon, because I want to take care of this one, and honour it and make sure I get it out.鈥�
The book was released in late January. She made her first presentation a few days later.
Guillemin said her husband鈥檚 family farmed in the Stoughton and Forget areas, and Gaylene Guillemin has friends and family in southeast Saskatchewan. Some of them were able to attend her readings in Estevan.
Guillemin said she had a great mentor in author Stone Wallace from the Winnipeg area, and she also had a great publisher. The book has been very well received, and she has received a lot of positive comments about her presentations as well.
