I used to dance where the wild ones play,
Laughter like echoes that drifted away.

In circles, we spun through the weightless years,
Binding our stories with cheap wine and cheers.

But somewhere between the dusk and the dawn,
I felt my heart stretch, my spirit move on.

The words that once bloomed now wither and fade,
In gardens of habit where nothing is made.

I crave deeper roots, not fleeting skies…
A language of souls, not surface disguise.

Yet, here I stand where I no longer fit,
A soul outgrowing the shape it once knit.

Like autumn leaves that release from the tree,
I let them fall… I set myself free.

Not in anger, nor bitter farewell,
But a quiet knowing… I’ve broken the spell.

There are mountains calling where rivers run deep,
And voices that echo the dreams that I keep.

So I walk on, though the road feels unknown,
Leaving old shadows to find my own throne.

For growth is a journey that not all will take,
And some paths will bend, and some ties will break.

But I’ll seek the light where the wise ones roam…
A heart unbound, and a soul coming home.

March 1, 2025

In a land where the sky and sea blended in a crimson embrace, there stood a solitary girl, tears of blood streaming from her eyes into the scarlet ocean below. Each drop carried the weight of her sorrow, each tear a silent testament to the battles she fought within herself. With a trembling heart, she made an oath that one day, somehow, she would find her way beyond the pain.

The weight of despair hung heavy upon her shoulders as she gazed up at the smiling moon, the only comfort in a world where the sun had vanished. She searched the heavens for a glimpse of the light she once knew, wondering where it had gone and whether it would ever find its way back to her. Slowly, ever so slowly, the serpentine coils of despair tightened around her, threatening to pull her beneath the scarlet waves and bury the last fragments of the girl she used to be.

Her head hung low, her spirit weary from carrying so much for so long. She had spent her life feeling everything so deeply, absorbing the sorrows of others as though they were her own, offering pieces of her heart to anyone who needed love. She had become so accustomed to being the light for others that somewhere along the way, she had forgotten that her own flame needed tending, too.

But even in the suffocating darkness, something within her refused to die.

A tiny spark flickered deep within her soul. It was fragile, almost imperceptible, buried beneath years of heartache, disappointment, and the silent exhaustion of a heart that had given too much. Yet with every breath she took, the spark grew stronger. It whispered to her of possibilities she had long forgotten, of mornings yet to come, of a happiness she had once believed belonged only to other people.

For the first time, she began to wonder what might happen if she offered herself the same tenderness she had so freely given away. What if she spoke kindly to her own wounded heart? What if she allowed herself to rest, to dream, to laugh without guilt, and to believe that she was worthy of the very love she had spent a lifetime pouring into others?

And so, slowly, she lifted her head.

The scarlet ocean still stretched endlessly before her, and the darkness had not yet surrendered its hold. But something had changed. She was no longer waiting for someone to rescue her from the depths. She was beginning to discover the strength that had been within her all along.

One trembling step became another. The chains that had bound her spirit began to loosen, and the coils of despair that once threatened to consume her could no longer convince her that she was powerless. She had survived nights she thought would break her. She had endured storms she never believed she could weather. And somehow, despite everything, her heart was still capable of hope.

As she walked, the scarlet ocean began to shimmer beneath the first golden rays of dawn. The sun, once lost beyond the horizon, slowly rose into the sky, spilling light across the crimson waters. She stood watching, tears gathering in her eyes once more, but these tears carried something different. They were the tears of a girl who was beginning to believe that perhaps her story was not ending in darkness after all.

Perhaps it was only beginning.

And then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of everything that had tried to destroy her, she began to rise.

She rose from the sorrow that had once defined her. She rose from the expectations that had taught her to put everyone else first. She rose from the fear that loving herself somehow meant loving others less. With every broken piece she gathered, she discovered that she was not becoming someone new so much as remembering the woman she had been created to be.

Her heart, once exhausted from carrying the pain of the world, began to beat with a different kind of freedom. She no longer measured her worth by how much she could give, how many people she could save, or how much hurt she could endure without falling apart. She began to understand that her tenderness was not a weakness, her sensitivity was not a flaw, and her capacity to feel deeply was a gift that deserved to be cherished rather than sacrificed.

She was an empath, a woman who could sense the unspoken sorrow behind a smile and hear the pain hidden beneath another’s silence. For so long, she had poured her love into the empty places of others, hoping that somehow, in giving enough, she might make the world a little less painful for everyone around her.

Now, she was learning to turn that love inward.

She would hold her own hand through the difficult days. She would celebrate her own victories, however small. She would make room for laughter, adventure, creativity, and the simple happiness of being alive. She would no longer abandon herself in the process of loving someone else.

The love she once poured out to others now flowed inward, healing the wounds that time and tribulation had etched into her soul.
In this rebirth, she discovered a light within herself, brighter than any sun, more constant than the moon’s gentle glow. She embraced this light, allowing it to guide her towards happiness and fulfillment. Her heart, once heavy with pain, now soared with the joy of newfound freedom and self-acceptance.

With every sunrise, she climbed to new heights, stronger than ever before. As an empath, she had always felt deeply, but now she used this gift to nurture her own spirit. She balanced giving with receiving, understanding that her well-being was as important as that of those she cared for.

Her journey was one of transformation, from the depths of despair to the pinnacle of self-love. She stood tall, a beacon of hope and strength, ready to embrace the world with open arms and an open heart. In her new light, she found the happiness and love she had always deserved, rising like a phoenix to greet each new day with unyielding courage and grace.

I am her.

I spent a long time thinking that love was measured by how much I gave, how far I bent, how deeply I leaned into the storms of others. I thought rescuing people proved my worth. I thought love meant chasing every ship that drifted into my sea.

But God began to reveal a different kind of love. He showed me that real light does not chase. Real light stands. A lighthouse doesn’t leave its place to chase every vessel in rough waters. It doesn’t shrink itself to make the sea feel safe. It just stands where it was placed and lets its light blaze steady and true.

In his wisdom I learned that I am not meant to be a rescue boat. I am meant to be a lighthouse. I am meant to stand firm in who God made me to be and let His light shine through me, and that means sometimes life feels quiet. It means some people drift away. It means you might wonder if choosing yourself was worth it.

But choosing yourself in God’s light is never a loss. It is not losing your way. It is finally standing in it. When you stop chasing what was never meant to stay, when you stop proving yourself to those who never truly saw your soul, your light becomes something sacred. It becomes a signal that draws in what is meant to be, not what just wants convenience.

Ships that are meant to turn toward you will come. They will come not because you ran after them, not because you gave until it hurt, but because your light is anchored in God. They will come because what God built in you cannot be ignored.

You deserve people who see your heart, who value you for who you are, not for what you do for them, you deserve peace, you deserve connection rooted in truth and presence, you deserve to shine without apology.

Be the lighthouse and stand in God’s light. Let His love guide every soul who comes your way.