Kindness has been hidden, everyone is so guilt ridden and full of fear. Believe in your neighbors. Reach out to someone that is struggling.Check on your friends daily. Be the example of love. In my bubble, I feel that judgement is far too common, jealousy is a curse and that negativity is contagious. Greed and power are handed out to those who abuse their privileges loudly. I would love to see a world where you are safe to speak out about your insecurity and weakness instead of the movie and make believe kind of violence and drama each day. Encourage those who are confused and help them find their way back to their truth. Help the less fortunate, but do not make it a dependable process. TEACH instead of preach. Understand that success is not measured by wealth, but by soul. The change starts with our hearts. I would love to see more education and encourage self sufficiency in learning, not just brain skills. It is true, most of us with a college education have spent thousands only to feel lost at the very end. Partner violence is huge, yet there are not enough resources to help those post abuse. I am trying to change that. Beautiful hearts are overwhelmed and overlooked often. A good deed is taken wrong or mistaken for greed. It is run by fear. The news, is never good news anymore. It only focuses on the darker parts of life. Let’s tell the world of the heros and the dreamers. The good deeds and the pure hearts. Instead of selling the darkness that feeds the depressed. I dream of communication and community instead of corruption and conspiracy.
Reach out a hand to another need. Support and listen to another’s dream. If you can help encourage anyone do that. Be a stepping stone to build another up. Not step on their heart. Believe that change is possible. Believe that we can all be the change. I’d love to see no more wars or fighting. No crime or hate. Maybe just maybe if we took a step back and opened our inner hearts we could understand better.
Fundraise to make a change for what you believe in. Speak your truth proudly without shame or blame. Believe that each of us are capable to bring about a better world in our own special ways. We can all be the change.
Aww what I love so much about this is everything you say you want to see, you actually do. YOU are an example of Love. YOU encourage others. YOU help the less fortunate. YOU teach instead of preach. You truly are the change you want to see in the world, and for that, you should be so proud. I admire you so very much. Thank you for sharing. <3Lauren
Day in and day out our world seems to fall darker.
Visible thunderstorms of animosity, hatred, division and war.
They brew quickly, blow rapidly, covering the surfaces of hope I became so accustomed to.
While the loudness of anger rumbles through the wind, we point fingers and scoff declarations of who is in the wrong.
Who deserves just punishment and isolation for past sins and moments of weakness.
Our fears and anxieties shoot up from the ground like poison roots attempting to choke out the seed of light embedded in us.
Afraid to show a true glimpse of ourselves, to display our authentic ways or more simply even, kindness.
Yet somehow we all dream that a random act from a stranger or friend might spur our hope .
Comforting us, a reminder that gentle compassion still exists.
When in fact, each and every day we have that ability within ourselves, to be there for someone else the way we hope they can be for us.
One small act, one show of support, one day spent serving another, acting out of a mindset that bears no judgment.
A change in reality within our own reach.
How can something so simple spur a ripple?
I’ve heard the way myself.
“You are rare, there is something different in you, when you are in your element you are magnetic.”
While these words are not the change themselves, where they stem from is.
Kindness and compassion have blossomed in my heart in a way I continue to cultivate.
To fight against the desire our world has to segregate.
For when the storm calms and the gray clouds dissipate, the light of truth cuts straight through you and I.
Our humanness reveals itself and it is magnified that we all bleed the same.
We have all cried tears of joy at the announcement of good news, felt bitter anger towards someone who wronged us.
Laughed until our sides ached and breath left our lungs.
We have all loved and hurt as humans do, so why should we expect perfection from equally imperfect people?
Yes, it is genuine connection, kindness and an open mind that I will use to change the world.
Truly, what else could drown out the poison roots than an overflow, a flood of hope bringing tall trees that offer a newfound shade of comfort and safety.
Ashley, I so agree with you kindness and compassion are so powerful, and you sound like a beautiful person, giving love and light to the world. Thank you for being you, and thank you for sharing your story. I know just by being you, you are changing the world and creating that ripple effect. <3 Lauren
Have you ever given much thought about plants and how they grow? I have. When I was younger I would sit myself in front of our houseplants captivated by them, observing every minuscule change that had occurred since the last time I’d sat with them. Noticing a plant that looked sickly, dotted with many brown specks and withering away I called it to my grandma’s attention. “Breathe on it,” my grandma told me. “But why” I asked. It’s good for the plants, she responded. So I sat there breathing on that plant trying to revive it with the magic power of my warm breath. I didn’t know the science behind it at the time just naively believed my breath could heal this dying plant which had once provided a pop of color in our home and had created a sense of joy in my heart.
Another time I sat in front of a sickly plant and exclaimed “Mom this plant isn’t doing well.”
“Pick the brown dry pieces off,” my mom told me.
“What is that going to do mom,” I questioned.
My mom explained to me how when a plant is not doing well the strong, healthy plants concentrate the water towards the part of the plant that is not healthy to help restore it. I though that was so beautiful. Over the years I have thought about this intricacy of how plants are designed and I’ve thought deeply about our society. During the height of the pandemic I would think about how our society was responding to the collective trauma. Divisiveness ensued and different camps were formed. Meanwhile people were hurting and afraid. I think about how I write this in the month of May which is Mental Health Awareness month and also how I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in that very month. There are a lot of hurting people out there and they need our help. See we may not be able to serve everyone. But we can each concentrate our efforts, our kindness, our love, and our prayers on those we encounter frequently. I believe that healed people can heal people. We must be like plants reaching out to hurting people and breathing life into them. In the Catholic Church there is a saint that said “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world (St. Teresa of Availa).” We can all make a difference. And I think all of us making a difference where we have been planted, lending a helping hand to those we encounter everyday can create a chain reaction. And that chain reaction can change the world.
As my closing remarks I want to share an anecdote that has struck me many times. The author G.K. Chesterton once entered a writing contest which asked the participants to answer the question “what’s wrong with the world today?” G.K. Chesterton wrote “I am,” and sent it in. While there is some truth in that, I know that we also can be the change that we want to see. Each moment that we live is a grace—as it’s a moment where we can grow in kindness. Each person we meet has dignity, worth, value, and their own unique story—we can come to know them intimately. Each breath we breathe is a gift and we can use it to breathe life into others. Each word on our lips should seek to heal with compassion–because with our words we can reawaken someones weary soul.
We can learn something from the very design of plants. Through them we learn what is necessary to grow, and what is needed to heal.
Hannah, I love this line and analogy: “We must be like plants reaching out to hurting people and breathing life into them.” This piece is so sweet and so beautiful, and you are right we need to reach out to help heal the parts of people in our society that are hurting. Your heart is so sweet, and I think this piece really portrays your…read more
Daddy taught me about greed and lust
Mommy taught me about broken trust
Sister taught me about angry hearts
Brother taught me about leaving marks
Friends taught me no one stays
Exes taught me to learn my place
Society taught me to waste the years
The world taught me about doubts and fears
How do we learn to grow and live
When we havent learned how to forgive
Don’t let the world turn you cold
We have to learn to break the mold
WOW! BEAUTIFUL. ❤️ This touched my heart. Thank you for sharing such beautiful words. Keep on writing you are amazing. These words will bring about a beautiful change for many. Thank you
WOW! This is incredibly powerful. You make your points so succinctly and yet so poetically. Breaking the mold takes so much courage and strength but it sounds like you are well on your way. You are so aware of your surroundings and your desire to be different is very inspiring. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of The Unsealed…read more
I want to see the world as an equal opportunity place and
Not as a place where you get a Past Go just because of your race.
May your NetWorth not determine your importance in this world.
But your character and actions reveal your real contribution to this world.
Can we not sit in the judgment seat just because a person doesn’t meet our expectation.
Can we practice showing people grace in the midst of their afflictions,
Can people stop idolizing these picture-perfect lives that we all know is fiction. Can change include taking drugs and guns off the street and can counseling be free to nurture those with traumatic realities.
Can we build our young women to show them that they are uniquely and wonderfully made, and their virginity is more sacred than a cash trade.
Can real men stand up and be a positive example to the young men.
Can we honor marriages and not settle as a Special Friend.
Can we live righteous and not in sin.
Can we love our neighbors as our kin.
Can positive change take place so we can look forward to a better tomorrow. Can people not be materialistic but make efforts to give a helping hand and pay it forward to the next person who is trying to do the best they can.
We can conquer the world if we believe and have faith in change.
Let’s make a plan of action that will produce a contagious positive change that will spread from State to State and make this world a better place.
No more division and injustice and rigged up politics it’s time to be united and stand as one and allow CHANGE to make a positive shift.
Ashley, I love this line, “May your NetWorth not determine your importance in this world.
But your character and actions reveal your real contribution to this world.” I agree with you that we should focus more on character and less on wealth. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being a part of The Unsealed. Keep being the change you want to…read more
Positive change in the world is everything to me
What first comes to mind is empathy and compassion
The world has forgotten what it is like to be there for another
Oh what joy it would be to witness that beautiful interaction
This pandemic took us all for a topsy turvy flip side turnaround.
People became selfish and completely avoided any interaction
I was working non-stop and saw firsthand how quickly it turned
People were avoiding each other and looking at each other with dissatisfaction
People forgot what it was like to be there for one another
Forgetting to place someone else before themselves
All it takes is one for someone to pay it forward even if it’s something small
It could mean the world to them and in the end make a new friend
We forget that people lost their close friends and family
We forget the loneliness that we felt while being in lockdown
We forget the fights over toilet paper and water
How quickly we turned on one another in and around this town
Remember when we were there for our friend, family and neighbor
How nice it felt to be able to uplift them and see them smile
You didn’t know what they went through or going through
How nice it felt to be genuine just because without being hostile
Let’s get back to being there just to be there whole heartedly
Let’s get back to having empathy and compassion
It starts with you and being able to pay it forward
Oh what joy it would be to witness that beautiful interaction
Aww you are so right. The world needs kindness, and it doesn’t take a lot to make a difference in someone’s life. The smallest gesture – a smile, a compliment, a hug – can make someone feel less alone and change the way they feel about life and themselves. Thank you for sharing your heart with us, and thank you for being part of The Unsealed. <3 Lauren
Amidst the trees of ignorance,
Folly dangles in the breeze.
Its roots entwined in falsehood,
Its fruit a bitter disease.
And yet, many still reach for it,
Unaware of its unease.
For the tree of ignorance grows tall,
And its branches sway with ease.
But when the storm comes, and the tree begins to heave,
Some may learn to let go, and in their pain, perceive.
For it is often in moments of hardship,
We find the strength to leave.
But what of those who cling tight,
Too afraid to believe?
They wander lost in the forest,
Unable to perceive the light they could receive.
But even for those who feel they’re too far gone,
Change can come, and a new path can dawn.
True change starts from within,
As we shift our thoughts like the changing of the wind.
Wow!! This poem is a amazing. I am a big believer that strength is revealed in hard time and change comes from a desire and determination within. This is a really well-written and wise piece. I love it!
Thank you 😊 I always thought I lack the ability to be a writer. It was something I always had trouble with so i strayed away from it. Now I feel a sense of relief and comfort when I write💯
You know my high school English teacher told me I couldn’t write either. I truly believe anyone who has a heart can write a good story. You ARE writer and a good one at that!
Coming around the final red rock
a group of which perches precariously
on top of each other
it had been a steady climb up
the last thousand feet, ascending,
reaching for the infinity of a cloudless blue sky
having seen the top blonde rocks
those that might have been whitewashed
in the sun up there for maybe
a thousand thousand years
these had seen the cultures of man come
and go, likely some blood shed in doing so
and also clean births of new stars
with the meteor showers
the pines growing up there
twisted , moved about by the winds
and events that danced around
their brown and red trunks and green limbs
reaching for sanity
from the frailties of men.
There was a hearth circle
in the only flattish place up there
cinders in it nearly washed away
by the rain of time’s passage
still, a few were nestled
around the inner border of the circle.
A rock overhang overhead
carbon from the smoke stained it’s roof
a testament to the antiquity
an intensity of flames leaping, swirling so long ago
what shit had been shot while seated around
watching the fire’s anesthesia
shadows on faces, so far off in the dim past
the conversations have blown away with the smoke
no synthesizer music here,
likely a soft native flute
perhaps some drumming on a nearby log
or the resonating rasp made of armidillo shell
moving the rhythms of those seated
in conversation, on the events of their day.
Did a light-headedness come from a new birth
or perhaps a discovery of delight
of a successful hunt
the careful killing of brother bighorn sheep
enough to feed all of them
along with finding a new chert vein in the rocks
nearby, to make their projectile points,
or did a darkness come into their lives
like a terrible encounter of a loss to sister catamount
who was also hungry for fresh warm meat.
The pines are twisted,
moved by the human discourse.
Strength remains, even when the wind stops.
Poem Copyrighted 4/2023, Ray Whitaker
Photo Copyrighted 4/2023, Ray Whitaker
Ray, reading your poems always makes me think. You are thoughtful and your words are so carefully chosen. This is yet another beautiful piece. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being a part of our family. <3 Lauren