The world is wild right now. Gas is up, headlines are loud, and everyone’s scared. My message is simple: don’t let fear stop you from living. Go have fun. Go enjoy your life. Don’t wait for things to ‘calm down’ — they might not. Live now.

I feel the drops On my skin As I walk the dark at night And talk to grandmother moon Hers, the only light I see They’re not tears of sadness But light breaking through Me Beneath my clothes Reaching into my pocket I pull another from the pack Each one I light Exhaling my woes Pleading for the clarity I desperately seek This dry night Without any rain I feel the drops Upon my skin Another cigarette lit Beckoning comfort in Knowing it’s the only control I have for One more long and lonely night

Everyone struggled with you You don’t seem to have a care in the world Oblivious on purpose Released of any accountability I grew up hearing you were useless It made me angry That a woman wouldn’t be strong No, no You wouldn’t be strong on purpose It wasn’t until I was old myself That I realized this was your tactic After I chose to stop listening to everyone And decide for myself I looked at you Most likely like no one else ever has I saw you for who you are Your shadow is your shell You get to hide Everyone else is just pretending They raise you up and keep you on high I think you know though that it’s all fake After I took the time and tried That’s when I truly saw you Now you hate me even more Hurt people hurt people Well now you hurt me in the most unforgivable ways I see your truth You hate me in return I can’t do it anymore I’ve no more hope in you left I’m wise And strong And letting you go is the bravest and hardest thing I’ll ever have done

Dad fell out of bed Helpless And as usual I look to you You’re useless On purpose? Your ways I cannot comprehend How you segregated me And taught everyone to ignore me Abandoned me When I needed a mother most And told you of my abuse Nothing brought you more joy You said that to my face For years I thought I was weak because I lacked your love Now I realize you forced me to be strong But that took years in the making One hard lesson after another Strength came sideways Because I’m self taught Now you’re frail and old Everyone else is stepping up Not me though You’ve completely shut me out I can’t even give if I want to I finally came to a place That only deep healing brings about Levels of forgiveness I’ll never get to express it Mother’s Day? How can I even honor it When you’ve given me nothing to celebrate You neglect And I obey It’s not my job to fix you

Change doesn’t happen in one leap — it happens in the steps you’re willing to take, even on the days you slip. Steps If you really want to change, you’ll keep taking every step — the forward ones that lift you up, the backward ones that test what’s left. Two steps forward, one step back — you’re still moving, still on track. Six steps forward, two steps slide — but you’re still further on the ride. No one shifts their life overnight, no one wakes up suddenly right. It takes the steps, the daily try, the moments where you slip, then rise. Change is practice, not pretend — a start, a stumble, then ascend. And if you want a life that’s new, you’ll keep on stepping until your routine becomes your truth. by Rosalind P. Steed Reflective Questions Where in your life are you still expecting instant change instead of committed steps? What small step could you take today that your future self will thank you for?