I received a message early this morning from a young woman wishing to express her gratitude.

“You probably won’t remember me,” she wrote. Her name was oddly familiar, though – I couldn’t quite place that grin.

She beamed of a happiness and grace, restored — though, her eyes revealed an arduous journey.

“I used to stand outside the Macy’s in downtown DC,” she said. “You were the only one who would stop to speak with me.”

Suddenly, my memory cleared as I thought back to the slivered shadow of the woman now ‘standing’ before me.

“You mustn’t give up hope,” I remember urging her one day. To which she said, “Honey, I haven’t given up on hope; hope has given up on me.”

I made it a point to stop by daily. Whether rain or shine or driving winds, I always made my way. I felt compelled to offer my heart, to share that which was once gifted to me:

That of another person’s belief.

“Someday, you watch,” I smiled. “Your children will be in your arms again.” It was my last day working in the city. As such, I wanted to offer lasting words.

And, now here we were – a full five years later. My goodness, talk about a transformation.

“You believed in me,” she wrote. “You were the only one that ever did.”

From our last conversation, she vowed to make right that which the years had stolen away. She let go of the drug abuse, the victimization – embracing fully her part in this story. She reconnected with her role as ‘mother’.

And, realizing that new beginning are often guised in the ‘tragedy’ of endings. But more so, that with hope in oneself – all things are possible.

We never know how are interaction may change a life. We venture out, make connections – we hope, we dream, we hold belief. But, it’s never until a moment like this that we understand our obligation to humanity.

In one photo, I can sum up my ‘why’ – it’s because of this, and nothing more:

Hope restored…

We never know, my darlings – and that is why we must always try.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️