I met my younger self on a Sunday morning in a church parking lot.
She looked as if she just saw God.
Hair golden blonde.
Eyes piercing blue.
Sun beaming on her young face.
She ran up to my car and jumped in the passenger seat.
Touching every button.
Opening every compartment.
Smiling.
Dimples radiating so big.
She looks over at me and with a smile as big as a car tire, she tells me, “We did it!”
She gives me such a huge hug, one that felt as if it was building up for years.
Smiles at me with such accomplishment.
Opens the car door and gradually skips away to the beat of her own drum.
As I watch that little girl skip away, I acknowledge her happiness.
Her joy. Her fulfillment.
I acknowledge the fear that once guarded her.
As I watch that little girl skip away, I remind myself that every achievement is not just for me, but for her as well.
She deserves the world.
She deserves achievements.
She deserves this moment right now.
Right here in the church parking lot.

Dear Unsealers,

It’s the eighth day of March.

A Happy International Women’s Day to all the women of the world. From my mom, my sister, all of my female friends and relatives. And to all the women in The Unsealed.

In honor of your strength, kindness and tenacity, comes this poem…

On International Women’s Day 2025

A salute to all the women
Family, relatives, friends and acquaintances
In every corner of the world

May they keep making this world a better place
Bringing their light, tenacity and strength
Into these trying days and nights

May we learn from their compassion
Their willingness to stick up for what’s right

I wouldn’t be the person I am
Kind, compassionate and fierce
If not for my mom and sister
The two most important women in my life

Here’s to the women of the world
Celebrated on this 8th day of March

And every single day of the year!

Self reflecting with two
fingers up. Projecting peace,
A double entendre.
Happy, with a joyful smile
Showing my teeth.
With the acception of
A Farwell to the past versions of me.

Dear Unsealers,
It’s the first day of March.

January took a century to go by. February passed through quickly.
March is a month of transition.

As the clocks will turn ahead an hour in a week. More daylight on the commute home from work.
The countdown to Easter begins. The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday.

A month that honors women, and brings cerebral palsy to the forefront. And a moment marking five years since the world as we knew it was upended.

March is a month when the seasons begin to change. It begins in the last days of winter and comes to a close at the start of spring.

All in thirty-one days.

As with every month, a welcome in verse:

March
Month number three, in 2025

The month comes in like a lion
As winter’s chill and hints of spring trade days

Thirty-one days lie ahead.
A season of transition

From clocks moving ahead
Equal hours of night and day

A month of solemnity
The countdown to Easter begins.

It’s also Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.
And five years since the Awakening

The month goes out like a lamb
As the first blooms arrive

Dear Young Anita,

I just want to tell you that this life you are about to walk into—it won’t be easy. It will be shaped by your search for love, by your desire to be seen, understood, and cherished. From the very beginning, you will long for a love that feels safe, a love that feels like home. And because of that longing, you will make mistakes.

When you step out of high school, the first boy who tells you that you’re beautiful will catch your heart. Not because he is meant for you, but because you’ve never had that kind of attention. Your father loves you, yes, but you never truly understood what love meant outside of him. You didn’t know that real love doesn’t make you question. It doesn’t make you chase. It doesn’t make you prove your worth.

You will go through life choosing wrong, thinking that love comes with sacrifice, with giving too much, with buying things, overextending yourself—just to feel wanted. You will bend, you will break, you will carry the weight of others who never deserved to hold you.

But God sees you.

God will hear your prayers, even when you don’t know what you’re asking for. And when He answers, it won’t come in the way you expect.

Your first child will be a boy. You always wanted a girl, but God said no. He needed you to experience unconditional love, not the kind of love that left you wondering. He needed you to feel a love that is pure, unshaken, and constant. A son’s love for his mother.

And when you still don’t get it, He will give you another boy. Because you still haven’t learned what love truly is. You were still searching for it in people, in places, in relationships that were never meant to last. But these two boys? They will teach you what love looks like—what it means to be cherished without conditions, without proving yourself.

Even through the heartache, the rejection, the loneliness, you will always have them. They will remind you of your strength when you feel weak, of your worth when the world tries to dim your light.

But Anita, here’s the truth that will set you free: The love you’ve been searching for has always been within you.

You are love.
You are enough.
You are worthy.

No man, no relationship, no outside validation will ever define you. You define yourself. And when you finally align with the right energy—the right love, the right peace, the right abundance—it will all come to you effortlessly. Because it was always meant for you.

You got this, Anita. Even in your darkest moments, you got this.

With the deepest love,
Future You

Some of us worry about
“Certain features”,
We go through “desperate measures”.
To provide some type of pleasure.
We’re Constantly under pressure,
Fighting with gravity.
We are searching and looking
Browsing at eye candy,
Looks are appealing, but
To get a taste.
You might Unwrap other
Feelings!
Revealing the mind is
So divine,
Sometimes it’s quiet and unspoken,
Then sometimes it’s loud!
When it’s provoken,
Soo, maybe….it’s better to
Leave it unopened.
The power of emotions, blows up!
Some atomic fluids flowing. Now,
We’re chemically influenced.

Lately, I’ve been searching deep,
through silent nights and wounds that weep.
Reflecting on the path I’ve known,
the love I gave, yet stood alone.

This season of stillness, a destined pause,
life unfolding by divine laws.
Losing, healing, standing still,
learning that time bends to God’s will.

I’ve poured my soul into the hands of others,
lifted friends, lovers, sisters, brothers.
But now, I turn that love within,
where healing starts, where I begin.

No longer chasing, forcing, pleading,
just trusting life, trusting its meaning.
For what is mine will never stray,
it will find me in its own way.

Yes, I want love, but love is not a cure,
not a place where wounds endure.
No one should fix what they didn’t break,
love should build, not bend till it aches.

I seek a bond where spirits grow,
not a place where burdens show.
A hand to hold, not one to mend,
a partner first, a lover, a friend.

So I stand in truth, in light, in grace,
embracing healing, finding my space.
Celibate, patient, guarding my soul,
waiting for love that makes me whole.

No more weight upon my chest,
no more giving till there’s nothing left.
Love is balance, love is free,
love will meet me when it’s meant to be.

And when it does, I will not chase,
I will not question time or place.
For love aligned, by fate, by call,
needs no force—it simply falls.

404 not found
My long search came up empty
Looking for the one

After the divorce
Never thought I’d try to look
Then I hit refresh

Found a rabbit hole
I decided to jump in
To see what I’d find

Eww, what a cesspool
What does it say about me
That I am in it?

And then in the end
Disorganized attachment
Bit me in the ass

Then, I decided
I’d try therapy instead
To get over her

404 not found
Entered the wrong URL
BetterHelp.com

Not Bumble.com
Would have been more suitable
For my broken heart

Thank you very much
Hide quoted text

On Mon, Feb 24, 2025, 10:43 PM Lauren Brill wrote:
Click write a letter now in the top right once you are signed in and then you can put it in the “chasing your dreams” category.

Lauren

On Mon, Feb 24, 2025 at 10:25 PM Leroy Bragg wrote:
Thank you very much, where would I put the story at
On Mon, Feb 24, 2025, 10:15 PM Lauren Brill <lauren@theunsealed.com

So for 24 years I have been a lube/tire tech, I have worked some Amazing jobs and never expected to move up, well after my Longest reign of 7 years at a job, I had a opportunity to get within 10 minutes of my home.So I hated leaving but it was time to go.The first day at this new job was SPECTACULAR, after that it was A NIGHTMARE, I regretted going to work, but I was working 5 days a week so I really couldn't leave.I received a call from my job I walked out on 20 years ago.It just so happened the interview was the day we were getting off work early for a Christmas party ( I didn't go to the party) I went to the job was Ready to be a LUBE TECH ( he didn't need what I was) So I figured a porter or something smaller,( I didn't care I WANTED OUT of that other job and I was willing to DO ANYTHING.My boss told me I was to be PDI TECH( ALOT BETTER and better pay) So I GREATLY ACCEPTED.I would quit this other job ( another story) And I'm VERY HAPPY I HAVE AMAZING COWORKERS, I'M HAPPY, and I love MY JOB AGAIN ( FIRST TIME IN YEARS) I THANK GOD for All the hardships cause it led me to my Final Auto shop.I don't know how long I have left to work on cars, But honestly I'm just getting started.PH 4:13 I Can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.

Having your inner child meet you at a park bench with tears in her eyes only means one thing & one thing only, she needs guidance. She needs love. She needs you to tell her things get better from here. You be honest with her & tell her it may not seem like it now, but everything eventually gets better. You let her know that her pain is valid. You will accept her tears. You tell her if it’s one thing you’ve learned, it’s having hope. Have faith. Find the positive amongst the hurt. Find gratitude amongst the moment. Find acceptance amongst the ugly.

Hearing your inner child tell you she wants happiness. She wants beautiful moments. She wants laughter. She wants her days to be filled with clarity. You look her in those little blue eyes with hair in her face & you give her the hug she needs. She deserves. She’s craved for so long. You let her know that in this moment, right now, everything needs to be felt.

I ain’t playing no games
Everytime I wait for a message
I get a little sad because I’m wasting my time
You’re dangerous running through my mind
I should let you go but I can’t
I try and try and I try
You’re wishing for me to be near you
You plan to reach out to me
Picking the phone up and then putting it down
Afraid of what I would say to you
Here’s what I would say:
You played an important role in our young life
You didn’t really realize that I was sad and in pain
I was more concerned making sure you were happy
You being happy always lifted my spirits
Talking to you about anything kept my pain away
Being near you made me forget why I was sad in the first place
Even when I was told I wasn’t pretty enough to be with you
I was always coming around
Here what I also wanted to tell you when I reached out:
I’m not even supposed to be here
but it’s getting hard to explain it
You saved and protected me that night
I was supposed to die in the dark woods
Beaten and tortured
Bleeding through the night
My body in enormous pain and giving up
Even though you weren’t there physically
You were just there spiritually
I know I can’t get that back because you hate me
Believe me I hated me too
I went through hell and back
And I refuse to go back
We are different now
Trust me I’m okay now, kind of
Just tell me one thing
Tell me it’s not over

out of the echoing cave
By: Jim Kellogg
(The Queer Poet)
2-2025

the shards of glass
from the broken mirror
pierce the heavy and dark clouds
causing a turbulent storm
overwhelming and
tossing me around without direction
the invisible wounds have festered for years
leaking like droplets from a frozen river on a sunny day
i feel like i am trapped in an echoing cave

then…

i see her
my brave and cherished mother
a woman who shed her own tears
sometimes silent
sometimes wailing
she harkens me to the edge of the echoing cave
there…
she shows me an open window
an unexpected means of letting go

Soft whispers drift where silence grows,
Petals like dreams in a quiet flow.
Each one, a story, a delicate trace,
Carried by currents in a peaceful embrace.

Colors of love, shades of grace,
Gliding with time, no need to race.
Their journey slow, but hearts are light,
Dancing on ripples in the soft moonlight.

They don’t ask for more, just to be,
Floating freely, wild and free.
A moment of calm in a world of haste,
A reminder that beauty’s never a waste.

As they move, they leave no mark,
But their presence brightens the dark.
Like fleeting thoughts, like dreams we chase,
Rose petals drift, in love’s embrace.

Even when the weight drags heavy,
like chains forged from every doubt,
I lift my pen—
not because the storm has passed,
but because I refuse to drown in silence.

The page don’t judge my shadows,
don’t flinch at my broken breath,
it just waits—patient, open,
like a night sky still believing in stars.

I write because I am still here.
Because my ink is proof
that no matter how deep the ache,
there is still a voice inside me,
and it deserves to be heard.

“It’s no big deal.”
“It’s just another day.”
That’s what girls think,
or at least, that’s what they say.

February 14th,
can come and go.
No need to make a fuss,
or put on a big show.

But it doesn’t take much,
to put a smile on her face.
A stuffed animal, a box of chocolates,
and some roses in a vace.

A little bit of effort,
goes a really long way.
To show her a piece of the love,
that you feel every day.

Life moves so fast,
it can all start to blur.
So take a little time to show,
that you still choose her. ❤️

Dear Unsealers:

It’s the 14th of February.

A Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate the day!

This is my message for this year. A time where love, kindness and compassion are needed more than ever before. Don’t give into the cynicism and darkness.

I hope that you feel love and loved today, no matter where in the world you are.

This is my message of love:

On the 14th day of February
We celebrate the spirit of love

For friends, family, and loved ones
For anyone that you hold, near and dear to your heart

The feeling of love and kindness is needed
Now, more than ever before

It is easy to feel cynical amid all the advertising.
Candy hearts and greeting cards are everywhere.

Cupid’s arrow shot across the bow
To everyone in this world

May love spread to all corners
On this day and every single day of the year

From me to you, with all the love I can give
Happy Valentine’s Day!