When I see a tiny lizard or a gecko on the sidewalk, I see you & smell the softness of pancakes cooking in the kitchen.

When I see a black cat, I see you & instantly smell gingerbread cookies baking in the oven around Christmas time.

When I see a white Chevy truck, I see two young girls sitting in the bed of the truck embracing the moment of the wind blowing amongst their tiny faces after a fun filled day in the snow

When I see elder men wearing their “Veterans” hat, I see you standing before me. I feel the softness in the air. I see the gentleness of your soul standing amongst the crowd. I thank that individual for their service as I walk away.

When I see the color purple out in the world, I see you. When I’m at work & hear similar words from my clients, I think of you standing before me. When I see the card game “Go Fish” being played, I see two younger girls sitting at their grandmother’s table laughing til their tummy hurts.

When I see a yellow tractor, I see a young adult enjoying the time being spent with their grandfather. When I see a blue truck, I see you & start singing those old country songs we’d sing together.

No matter where I go in life, I see you.
I see all of you!
Wherever I go, you are right there guiding the way. The way to clarity. To beautiful blessings. To happiness. To calmness. To love.

No matter the length of missing you, the memories, all of the memories will forever be shared.
Wherever I go in life, I know I have several bodyguards guiding me along my path. Protecting me.

You Discover to Recover .
Life is not about waking up, working, eating, and sleeping. It is not about surviving day by day without questioning why you are here. Life is a journey of self-discovery. It is about peeling back everything that has been placed upon you—your name, your culture, your beliefs—and finding out who you truly are.  
Many people go through life lost, not because they are incapable, but because they have never taken the time to discover themselves. They live based on the expectations of their parents, society, religion, and culture, never realizing that all of these things are external influences. But the truth is,  you are more than your identity. We must awaken to the realization that we are not just physical beings, but spiritual entities, connected to the universe and all its wonders. This journey of self-discovery is the foundation upon which we build our lives, and it’s crucial that we grasp these fundamental concepts to unlock our full potential and fulfill our divine purpose. You must  discover yourself to recover from all the confusion, limitations, and doubts that the world has placed upon you. Only when you truly know yourself can you live a meaningful life. This journey is about unlearning what you thought was you and stepping into the truth of who you really are.
1: Who Are You? (Beyond Your Name and Identity)
The first step in self-discovery is asking:  Who am I? 
Most people believe they are their name, their nationality, or their religion. But if you remove those things, what is left? Who were you before you were given a name? Who were you before you were taught to think a certain way? The truth is, you are not your identity—you are the one experiencing the identity.  You are not your body—you are the one inside the body. You are not your thoughts—you are the one  watching the thoughts. As we delve deeper into our inner world, we’ll discover that our true essence is not just a physical body, but a multidimensional being, consisting of body, mind, and spirit. We are a spark of the divine, a droplet of the infinite ocean, and our true nature is connected to the universe and all its wonders. We must discover who we are, what we stand for, and what our values and principles are.
How to Discover Who You Truly Are
1. Question everything. Why do you believe what you believe? Did you choose it, or was it given to you?  
2. Spend time alone. Without distractions, you begin to hear your own voice.  
3. Observe yourself.  Notice your emotions, your habits, and your instincts. They tell you more about yourself than words ever can.  
4. Listen to your intuition.  Deep inside, you already know who you are. The problem is, the world has silenced that voice.  
Once you begin to separate yourself from the labels placed upon you, you will start to feel lighter because you are returning to your true self.  
Step 2: Where Are You? (Understanding Your Environment)
Once you know who you are, the next question is:  Where are you?  Not just physically, but spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.  
Your environment is not just the place you live—it is everything around you that shapes your mind. The people you talk to, the beliefs you hold, the energy that surrounds you—all of these things influence your growth. By recognizing our place in the world, we can begin to appreciate the complexities and nuances of our existence. We are not separate from the world around us, but an integral part of it. We are connected to the earth, the air, the water, and the fire, and our actions have a profound impact on the delicate balance of nature. We must understand our role in the world, our responsibilities, and our contribution to the greater good.
How to Discover Where You Are
1. Look at your surroundings. Are they helping you grow or keeping you trapped?  
2. Pay attention to your emotions. Do you feel free, or do you feel stuck?  
3. Check your energy.  Are you in a place where your true self can thrive, or are you just surviving?  
A seed planted in the wrong soil will never grow. The same applies to humans. If you are in an environment that limits your mind, you will never evolve. Sometimes, the only way to truly discover yourself is to change where you are. If your surroundings do not support your growth, you must seek out a new space—mentally, emotionally, or even physically.  
Step 3: Why Are You Here? (Discovering Your Life Purpose)
This is the question that separates those who live with meaning from those who simply exist:  Why are you here? No  one is here by accident. Every soul that enters this world has a purpose, a role to play in the grand design of the universe. But most people never find their purpose because they never ask the right questions. Your purpose is not just about having a job or making money. It is about what you give to the world, what you  create,  what you  build. It is about the energy you bring to others and the mark you leave behind. We must discover our mission, our vision, and our reason for being. This self-awareness will guide us to live a life that is authentic, meaningful, and help us fulfill our divine purpose.
How to Discover Your Purpose 
1. Look at what excites you. What do you love doing, even when no one is watching?  
2. Pay attention to what people come to you for.  What do others naturally seek your help with?  
3. Think about what challenges you’ve overcome. Your greatest struggles often prepare you for your greatest purpose.  
4. Listen to your inner voice.  What is that one thing you’ve always felt called to do?  
Purpose is not something you find—it is something you uncover.  It has always been inside you, waiting for you to remember it.  
The Truth About Life
Many people search for meaning in books, religions, and other people. But the truth is,  the answers you seek are already inside you. The problem is, most people are too distracted to listen. Life is not about waiting for something to happen. It is about actively discovering who you are, where you are, and why you are here. Because the moment you answer these three questions,  everything changes. You stop living in fear. You stop following the crowd. You stop searching for validation. As we navigate this journey, we’ll encounter various spiritual principles that will guide us on our path. We’ll discover the law of attraction, the power of intention, and the importance of mindfulness. We’ll learn to cultivate gratitude, compassion, and forgiveness, and we’ll understand the value of living in the present moment
You become  who you were always meant to be.  
So start today. Discover yourself. And in doing so, recover the life you were meant to live.

A Reflection on Existence

The concept of the  future is one of the greatest deceptions ever accepted by the human mind. We are taught from childhood to believe in it, to chase it, to plan for it, as if it is something real, something tangible, something awaiting us. But the truth is, the future does not exist.  It never has. It is nothing more than a thought, a projection of the mind that keeps us distracted from the only thing that has ever truly existed:  the present moment.

We live under the illusion of time, dividing it into past, present, and future, as if these are separate realities when in truth,  they are all the same. There is no past. There is no future. There is only NOW Whatever you call the past was once  NOW. Whatever you call the future will only ever arrive as NOW. So what, then, is the difference? There is none.

The Deception of Time
Human beings have created clocks, calendars, and timelines to measure existence, but energy, the very essence of life, does not move in a straight line. It is not bound by beginning or end. It simply  IS Everything you have ever been, everything you will ever be, already exists within you right now. Time is not a force of nature; it is a mental construct, a tool designed to help us function within this three-dimensional world. But a tool is not reality.  

We deceive ourselves into believing that the future holds something different, something more, something greater. “One day, I will be happy.” “One day, I will have everything I need.” “One day, I will understand.” But that  one day never comes. Because whenever it does, it is no longer the future, it is just another NOW If you cannot enjoy something now, you will never enjoy it at all.  

What About the Past?
If there is no future, does that mean there is no past? Yes. Because past and future are two sides of the same illusion. The past is nothing more than a memory, a story we tell ourselves, shaped by perception, colored by emotion. It does not exist outside of our minds. Just like the future, it is a projection. We say, This happened, but all that truly exists is our remembrance of it right now.

And yet, everything is energy. Energy is not born, nor does it die,it simply changes form. It has no beginning, no end, and no direction. If something has no origin and no destination, how can it have a past or a future? It cannot. The only reality is the infinite unfolding of energy, experienced through the limited perception of human consciousness.  

The Purpose of Human Existence
So why are we here? Why this world, this experience? Because Earth is a gathering place for energy. Everything you see, everything you touch, everything you ARE it is all energy, interacting, reflecting, learning from itself. You do not know yourself without me, just as I do not know myself without you. Our existence is defined by the presence of others.

Humanity is not just a species, it is a  stage in consciousness. A temporary phase, a learning process. When our understanding of this world is complete, when we have taken all we need from this form, we transcend. We evolve into something else, something higher, something more refined. Perhaps an angel, perhaps a god, perhaps something beyond even our current imagination.  

But the transition is not automatic. The energy you cultivate here determines what you become next. You could ascend into higher consciousness, or you could descend into something darker. A monster, a lost spirit, a force trapped in endless cycles of confusion. The choice is yours, shaped by the awareness you develop while in this body.  

The Only Truth
So if the future does not exist, and the past is only a memory, what is left?  

Only THIS; This moment, this breath, this feeling. The only purpose, the only true responsibility we have, is to make this existence meaningful. Not by waiting for the future, not by being trapped in the past, but by understanding  the now. Because this is all there is, and all there will ever be.  

William Joseph

To those who seek silence,  

There is a belief—a fragile, deceptive belief—that somewhere, somehow, quietness exists. That if one escapes far enough, buries themselves deep enough in solitude, or stills their mind with enough discipline, they will finally find it. But the truth is, quietness is an illusion. You will never know this until you become quiet yourself.  

The moment you sit in what you think is silence, you realize—there is no such thing. The world hums, vibrates, whispers beneath its breath. The wind murmurs through the trees. The walls creak as if sighing under the weight of time. Even your own body, the very thing you seek to still, betrays you—the steady rhythm of your breath, the pulsing of your blood, the subtle ringing in your ears that you had never noticed before.  Even in the most desolate places, there is sound.

And yet, in the modern world, we are so flooded with distractions that we do not even recognize the absence of quietness.  Noise has become our default state. The endless hum of technology, the constant barrage of notifications, the artificial voices that demand our attention—these things do not just fill space, they erase our ability to perceive true presence.  Social media, smartphones, and the digital world have not just taken our attention; they have stolen our ability to experience memory in its purest form. When noise never stops, reflection never begins.  

Memory itself is tied to quietness. True recollection happens in stillness, in the absence of external noise. But how can one remember when they are never still? How can one reflect when their mind is constantly being filled with artificial chatter? The ability to be alone with one’s thoughts has become a lost art, drowned beneath the never-ending stream of information.  

And what of death? If one cannot find quietness in life, can they find it in death? Perhaps not. For even then, the soul is energy, and  energy never truly rests. Frequency exists beyond the physical, and who is to say that the afterlife is not just another form of vibration, another realm of sound beyond what we can perceive? Silence, true silence, may not even belong to the dead.  

So, if quietness is an illusion, what is left?  Awareness. To recognize that you will never escape sound, that you will never truly silence the world, but that in understanding this, you can choose which sounds you allow into your mind. You can choose to hear yourself beyond the noise. And maybe, just maybe, that is as close as we will ever come to quietness.

William Joseph

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.

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

Grief is a kingdom you never ask to rule.
A place with no stars, no dawn to break.
Endless night.
A place where echoes live longer than voices,
where shadows wear the faces you’ve lost—
but never quite get them right.

It crowns you in silence,
wraps its cloak around your ribs,
tightens until your breath comes in fractured whispers.

I thought I was ready.
I told myself time was mercy—
that knowing would soften the blow.
But grief doesn’t strike like lightning.
It seeps in slowly, like poison in your veins,
until one day you’re gasping,
and you don’t even remember what air felt like.

I try to remember her laugh—
but it’s like chasing smoke.
Somewhere in my mind,
her smile is fading at the edges.
Her voice, just a ghost of a ghost.

I keep pictures tucked away in drawers.
I can’t look at them for too long.
Each glance is a wound,
each memory a blade turning slow beneath my ribs.
But without them, she slips further from me.
I am caught between needing to remember
and not being able to survive it.

How cruel it is—
to lose her twice.
Once to death, and again to time.

My son was born after she left.
A few fractured weeks between his first breath
and the silence she became.
His due date was her birthday.
As if the universe thought irony was a kindness.

Since I was 18,
I have been carving out a life with trembling hands,
mistaking silence for strength,
mistaking independence for survival.
But I was wrong.

Strength is standing in the ruin
and naming every piece.
It is saying:
This hurt.
This still hurts.
It is learning to breathe in the dark.

They don’t tell you how grief is a thief—
how it steals the good with the bad.
How every sweet memory is chased by regret.
How every second of love feels borrowed.
How guilt hangs on your shoulders like a cloak
you can’t remove.

I should have stayed longer.
I should have loved louder.
I should have grown up faster,
instead of pretending I had all the time in the world.

I still don’t know how to carry this.
Most days, I bury it beneath busy hands and silence.
But it always finds me—
in the quiet, in the stillness,
in the moments when her name rises to my lips
but never makes it past my teeth.

Grief is a kingdom,
and I am its prisoner.
There are no windows, no keys, no doors.
Only the ghosts of what could have been
and the weight of everything I didn’t say.

And yet somehow,
even in this shadowland,
I am still searching for light.

What does it mean to have your dreams come true? I’m from a small town and my entire life I have heard “you can’t.” “You’re from a small town, it’s impossible.” Well, I am here to tell you, it is possible. If you were to ask any 10 people on the street, they would say “I wish I had chased my dreams when I was younger.” Everything has its own way of happening on its own time. And I am living proof. My first novel will be published on May 18th of this year, I have began to sing in public again after several years, I have someone who loves me for me and doesn’t look at me like an object and my family has seen my smile returned to me. Thank you The Unsealed for helping me achieve my writing dreams and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

So last year my mom was diagnosed with AML and immediately our lives changed instantly, we quit looking at 6 months from now and were thankful for the moment, we still planned ahead but new anything could happen, well Thanksgiving came and noticed my mom wasn’t acting like MY MOM, we had planned a Special Thanksgiving with homemade egg rolls and she was sleeping a lot, well we were praying and Trusting God and on Dec 15th we would take her to the hospital.The doctor told us her instines were twisted and asked if the cancer was being treated our hearts sank, We were planning on spending Christmas with my mom, but the 17th of December I had to sign a DNC for my mom, Everyday I spent with my mom was short.Dec 22nd she would pass away.I spend Christmas eve getting her grave site ready, Im STUNNED at what happened.We now cherish EVERY DAY and WILL MAKE HER PROUD.

feb 3
a journal on pursuit.
what if you did? what if you just kept going? what if that dream of yours wasn’t actually too big? that things start aligning, making sense. what if? most people look at what if in a negative light but what if something fucking incredible happened? what if you do in the future, in this moment, for the future? instead of the reminiscent ‘what if’, the optimistic version. perhaps there is no negative outcome of the pursuit of anything. as even failure has its benefits. even failure is a step towards achievement. as some movement is better than none at all. even when its redirection. even when it feels like the world is rejecting you, you are still on the path you are meant to be on, as long as that dream of yours goes nowhere.

truly, I believe everyone has desires deep within them that will never go anywhere. no matter if you try to supplement this desire by something arguably more ‘realistic’, it will never go away. nothing can ever scratch the itch of a dream you have except the pursuit of said dream itself. the more you hesitate, the more you cast fear and doubt on this dream, the farther it will feel. yet the stronger pull you have towards it. the more you tell yourself it isn’t possible, that it’s stupid to think you could have that, the more you will create a pull towards it. so why suppress it? why spend a life going after things you don’t truly want in hopes your truest desires will be fulfilled through supplementation?

most people say they wanted to be something, and decided otherwise as it didn’t seem practical. those people are not truly happy or fulfilled in what they chose to do instead. they are living a life of phony, of pretend. the active decision to not pursue their truest self. how can you argue with your own truth? as if your soul doesn’t reveal its own truth, but your mind will for it?

for years, I could feel exactly in my soul what I wanted out of life. I wished to be aloof in a beautiful way, out in the world, authentically, organically connecting with people of all origins and finding a way to impact communities globally. I always wanted to be a famous writer. to spend as much time as possible creating. I’ve always had an adventure spirit, and a creative mind. I’ve always had a fear or not seeing enough, experiencing enough, meeting enough people, creating enough memories. since I was young, fomo has kept me up at night. the fear of missing out. my parents would always tell me, “the day is over, you can do more tomorrow.” but that answer never silenced the desire in my brain to do as much as I could. I’ve always been so hungry for life. it has always came naturally to want more, to challenge each day, to search for beauty in every single day.

admittedly, I have spent a lot of time pursuing other passions, hoping that my truest passion would go away on its own. how foolish of me. to silence my own voice. to suppress my own purpose and wonder why I cannot find purpose elsewhere? that nothing else in the world has felt like I’m meant to do it, makes sense why now. I thought I wouldn’t be able to be out in the world on my own, so instead I got a job to travel and make money doing that, which sounds ideal. but it doesn’t scratch the itch enough. it isn’t enough. it is not the authentic, organic, traveling I am craving. and it will never be enough no matter how many times I try to tell myself that is the only way I’ll be capable of what I want to do, an easier way out of what I actually want to be out in the world doing. I have always written, but have always put it on the backburner. I have always told myself that it isn’t good enough, that in no way could I be a successful poet, writer, on my own. that I had to have a normal job and it could always just be a passion on the side.

but these thoughts consume me.

these passions consume me.
that’s how I know they are meant to be pursued relentlessly. no matter what I try to do instead, there will always be a nagging voice in the back of my mind containing my truth, begging for my acknowledgment. begging for my honest effort, and full effort towards it. as nothing will work out for me until I am on the path of truth. the versions of me that has tried to suppress my truth are the versions of me that keeps feeling rejection from the universe in different forms.

so, that feeling, urge, deep in your soul will never go away. trust it. respect it. chase it. spend your life not only in acknowledgement of it, but in pursuit of it.

I look around and see so much loss. Be careful in life; it comes at a cost.

There’s no avoiding death; it’s a scary fate. Live life to the fullest before it’s your day.

It’s excruciatingly painful, but it’s a part of life. Grief is an emotion that cuts deep like a knife.

Cherish every second, minute, and hour with the people you love. Always be prepared to relive memories with your loved ones up above.

There’s no right or wrong way to grieve when someone leaves our lives unexpectedly. But we can keep their memory alive by living out our lives intentionally.

Of course, they wouldn’t want us to be sad, yet they’re no longer here. It’s hard to be happy when life takes away someone we hold dear.

There’s no time like the present when tomorrow may not be promised. It’s okay to be sad and to cry. Embrace your feelings and keep it honest.

I don’t handle loss well, so I write my feelings down. It’s hard to stay strong when there’s loss all around.

Don’t take loved ones for granted; appreciate them while you can. Everything happens for a reason; it’s all part of God’s plan!