It’s her story.

It’s their story. It’s likely your story. Between the pages of Alli Themer’s recently published book, “In the Valley – a Collection of Poetry,” many people will recognize a difficult time in their life.

Utilizing her poetic talent, Themer expresses the emotions of life’s storms and how they can become an avenue for powerful transformation.

It’s not a self-help book, said the author.

“It’s a book about relying on Jesus Christ alone for comfort and healing,” Themer said.

With a passion for writing from an early age, Themer said she has always loved writing, coming up with commercial jingles for fun and reciting one of her original poems at the Kingfisher County Fine Arts Festival.

As she grew older, Themer said she wanted to use her words to help others.

“I have been through some traumatic experiences and I know others have also been through them,” Themer said. “I didn’t want trauma to break them, but to shape them.”

The book’s genesis came about after Themer learned of other girls’ struggles while serving as lieutenant governor at Girls State and also at a Student Council leadership camp.

As they opened up and expressed themselves through their vulnerability, Themer said she wanted other people to know they’re not alone in dealing with difficult circumstances.

Taking their stories, along with others, Themer wrote poems which expressed the heartache of those times which included a poem of healing based on Biblical scriptures on the opposing page.

“Addressing these difficult topics, I didn’t want it to be too sad, but about the redemptive healing of Christ through it all,” she said.

One of the poems is about her best friend’s experience of grief at the loss of her father, others are about suicide, addiction, abuse, anxiety, shame, depression, divorce as well as many other topics.

Each poem is followed by another message of hope – from pitiful to powerful, Themer said, “…because Christ doesn’t say we won’t walk through the valley, but that He will be with us in the valley.”

While writing the book, Themer said she discovered one of the most powerful scriptures is “Jesus wept” in John 11:35 and that it has new meaning to her.

“Knowing Jesus wept while he was on earth means he feels our heartache and he sees our tears,” Themer said. “It’s very powerful to me that even Jesus was vulnerable and he wept.”

As a high school senior, Themer is well aware of the existence of peer pressure and said she has experienced difficulties and rejection in the past.

Going into this experience of writing a faith-based book, she said she wasn’t worried about what others would think.

“ I’ve already been through rejection not being myself,” Themer said. “So why not use my God-given gifts and abilities to glorify Him even if someone rejects me because of it?”

However, she said she has received positive feedback and a lot of support during the process of writing and release of her book.

Before writing the book, Themer said she started posting prayers and Christian content on TikTok and received encouragement to continue sharing her faith, with some posts even going viral.

About a year ago, she also started a blog entitled, “Beautifully Broken,” where she shares more of her poems with the goal of helping people see how we’re all broken, but that Jesus is able to turn our brokenness into beauty.

The daughter of Dennis and Tammy Themer, she’s involved in many activities at KHS and takes advantage of the opportunities she’s been given to help others.

As a junior, Themer was selected as Kingfisher County Distinguished Young Woman and during her year of service she was able to speak to elementary students about being their best self in which she stressed the importance of mental health.

Also during her junior year, she started a service organization at KHS called Students Stepping Up.

Approximately 20 students are involved and have served others in various ways including visiting nursing homes, organizing a Bible and blanket drive for the Compassion Clinic, creating worry boxes for Red Rock Behavioral Care Center and a variety of different projects to help others.

“I’m passionate about evoking world change and I realize it starts with community impact,” Themer said. “My desire was to create a service group for Kingfisher that would unify my high school and bring the community together.”

While writing “In the Valley,” Themer said she was led to Isaiah 61 and feels that it’s her purpose to help others know that Christ can transform pain into purpose and pity into power.

“My goal is to empower others not to let trauma break them, but to shape them and not be a victim of their circumstances, but live in victory through Christ,” Themer said.

As she graduates, Themer plans to major in multimedia journalism or psychology at Oklahoma State University and continue to use her talents to help others.

“I believe I was created to create and the things I create are meant to help others with what they are going through,” Themer said.

“I call my blog ‘beautifully broken’ because we’re all broken, but Christ makes our brokenness beautiful because he died on the cross for our brokenness.

“Instead of acting like we have it all together, we need to come together with our brokenness and that’s where we find healing.”

Announcing its release on social media Easter weekend, Themer’s book is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle edition.

For everyone who reads her book, Themer said her prayer for them is that Jesus would, “…Mend their broken heart and transform their brokenness into beauty. Help them find purpose in the midst of unimaginable pain….When they are hurting, be their comfort and healing. As they walk through the shadow of the valley, remind them they are never alone.”