Whispers of Earth: Take a Step with Me

Have you ever looked at something so beautiful that you wanted to freeze it in your mind forever? Have you ever had such a beautiful moment you hoped it would carry through even your darkest days? Now, somehow, no matter how much you hope and wish life gets loud, distractions take over, and that moment becomes nothing more than a faded memory. In March of 2020, I had one of those moments. I was privileged to travel to Rwanda, Africa, where I volunteered at what we would consider a boys' orphanage. During my time there, I facilitated a group on gratitude, one I had done many times before back with the children I worked with in the States. In this group, we tossed a ball sharing what felt gratitude for, and well, my heart swelled as I listened to their reflections. These sweet, gentle, smiling boys spoke about being grateful for things most of us forget to notice a chance at life, the hope of family, and the simple fact that we showed up to see them. That experience cracked something open in me. I promised myself I would live differently: to be present, to practice gratitude, to live fully. For a moment, I did. Then, the world shut down. I entered quarantine before my state or country did, isolated after returning home. And in less than a week, all the insight I’d gained slipped away. The loneliness, the silence, the uncertainty it was like the entire world exhaled and deflated at once. And somehow, just like that, five years passed. Five years of losing myself. Five years of forgetting gratitude. Five years of drifting. But reflection has a way of knocking gently, and eventually, it asks you to listen. What if I went back? Not physically, but emotionally. What if I returned to the place inside me where gratitude lived? So here we are. An introduction to a new world, one I’m choosing to build with intention, magic, and meaning. This is the beginning of a story. A promise to show up for myself. And an invitation to anyone who wants to grow, remember, or become alongside me. Welcome to the journey.