In honor of our loved ones who have passed, I wrote a poem. For me, they speak most clearly through poetry. It also seems like when we put down what we're carrying, let the past rest, and embrace the moment we're standing in instead, we have a better chance of feeling their presence. May this poem help you do just that.

Courage is the virtue that drives us to follow through with our intentions & to embody all the virtues we identify with. Courage is many things: showing up for difficult discussions, choosing vulnerability over comfort, forgiving ourselves & each other. Together, we can practice courage in small ways. It's how we grow.

I wrote the "I Am Enough" poem back in 2016 with a tattered heart after my dad died. I wrote it to remind myself that even though everything felt wrong, being alive wasn't wrong. I hope this reminds you, too, that you don't have to go it alone. That you're full of the light, you're here on purpose, and this is enough.

You’ve loved, and you’ve lost. You have carried what couldn’t be fixed. You’re still learning the meaning of forgiveness. You're in good company here. Which leads me to share this poem with you, called "The Unbroken." That's how I like to think of you and I.

This poem is another take on the concept of healing "from" trauma. Whether it's loss or illness or some other excruciating pain you've endured, the truth is that some kinds of pain don't ever go away. You can't go back to the life you had before. You can't go back to "normal" - but you *can* lay claim to your new life.

This poem you're about to read is what inspired me to say: greet every experience like a chance or a teacher, if not a friend. Even sorrow has its light, beautiful things grow out of the worst times. Just ask anyone who's known loss, and who's taken that pain and used it for their own betterment, or in service to others.

Every now and then, you need someone to tell you that they believe in you. You need to know you're in someone's thoughts, in their prayers and in their heart. It's the knowledge that you're not alone in your struggles and in your hopes, and sometimes that's all you need to keep going.

For some of us, we only have to go out into nature to find whatever it is our soul is missing. If you're like me and find everything you need in a walk in the woods, this poem is for you. It's a way of saying, "thank you, I love you" to the beauty still left all around you.