Hello there, my name is Charlene Cowley (loved ones and those close to me call me ‘Charlie’). I am thirty four years old and I live in the beautiful city of Turin (in the Piemonte region of Italy). I have lived here for almost four years now. I am originally from the United Kingdom and am wholeheartedly ‘British’ for my love of a ‘good cuppa’ and ‘fish n’ chips’. Good ole Blighty may be where I was born and bred but my heart now lies here, close to the Italian mountains, with my husband, two young daughters and our cat Ollie. I became a widow at the tender age of twenty eight and since then I have been on a journey of enlightenment, clarity, adventure and self-discovery. I now know much more about who I am as a person and what makes my soul truly sing! I run a support group on social media for young widows and widowers. You see, I have learned that none of us are ever truly alone, we may feel it at times and maybe even believe it too but with the help of the internet, technology allows us to connect to anywhere in the world and with that all of us are only ever a ‘like’, ‘follow’ or ‘comment’ away.

In my ‘spare time’ (I say this with extra punctuation as anyone who has two small children both under the age of three will know, the words ‘time’ and ‘spare’ very rarely go hand in hand these days!) I am a professional psychic medium and intuitive tarot card reader. I would say that this is what I do for ‘work’ but it is so much more than that! I cannot even begin to describe to you how liberating it is to be yourself and do something you love and feel so passionate about without giving a second thought to those who may not understand you or believe in your ‘gifts’.

Another passion for mine is literature.I will always remember the thrill and excitement I felt standing in line outside the classroom, waiting for my English lesson to start. I would eagerly anticipate in my head what we may be reading or studying that day. Would it be the author's use of metaphors in Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird'? or would we be studying the characterisation of Lennie in 'Of Mice and Men'. Either way, I loved every single lesson and I then went on to further enhance my love for reading (and writing) by studying a joint English Language/English Literature degree at University. I then became a teacher and I can only hope that I have somehow instilled in my students even just an ounce of my love for literature like my teacher did for me.

I was once told 'Charlie, you have a way with words!' And I will always remember that moment like it was yesterday. 'A way with words' just played and danced around in my head. It got me thinking … words ... oh how much power words hold! Words have the make to lift someone up, to make them feel like the most loved and appreciated person in the universe! Words have the power to heal and to bring about forgiveness and moving forward. And words, if used incorrectly, can have the power to hurt, the power to bring someone down. It is through words that our very existence in this world is captured and experienced. It is for this reason, that I am so extremely thankful and excited to introduce you to my new column ‘A way with words’. I cannot wait to get sharing my work with you and I can only hope that you enjoy what you will read.

Love, light and blessings to you,

Charlie.