David Kernohan
Who or what would you say has been your biggest inspiration in life?
In terms of who has been the inspiration in my life I would have to say my parents but not in the way most people may think. I came from a strongly religious and strongly dysfunctional home. My father was a minister of religion who preached on the love of God and made family life hell with his rage and fury. Having
experienced the consequences of such an environment I was determined to heal from my up-bringing and more importantly give my children a healthier up-bringing than I experienced. It was my experience growing up and my determination not to repeat this that was/is my drive to heal, to recover as much as is possible.
As I mentioned above, my son, my youngest child died five years ago. That experience was and is incredibly painful and alongside the pain and grief
there was and is also grace. KahlilGibran in his poem on Joy and Sorrow in The Prophet says
This is true and it is having the patience and courage to wait and endure while sorrow does it carving work within us. The joy that comes after and in between the sadness is a joy of beautiful tenderness to life. My experience of my son’s passing has meant re-learning to live in the present. I write of this experience in the poem “Son’s Words”. It is the sense of choosing to live in the present.