A consuming fire from within your soul. That's the power of hope. Yet so few of us remember the greatness from which we were forged. Check off the grocery list, post an ad for the old couch, stress about something you said or didn't say, wonder if you're good enough, try harder to lose weight . . . the busy-ness of life gets in the way of feeling your spiritual fire.

When my friend and creative soul sister Sherah reached out with an invitation to chat, I thought it was merely a how’s it going, mom life, let’s touch base girl kind of moment. As it turns out, it was a lovely and humbling invitation to be featured on Episode 19 of The Forgotten Art Project podcast! Check it out now.

If you hear the word “renew,” what comes to mind? Perhaps your Amazon membership, your magazine subscription or your passport. You’re not wrong but, like so many words with rich origins, renew has many meanings. In fact, for giggles, peruse Webster (or, if you’re under 30, Google) and scan the multiple definitions. At a soul level, maybe you answered differently.

I have found myself in a reflective space recently. At first, I assumed it was a survival mechanism for some chaotic waves . . . then, I realized it was a stirring of my creative soul calling me back to my poetic roots. So, indulge me, friends. Here is a piece from my Poet’s Soul series, written almost a decade ago. I hope you enjoy.

In a recent conversation with friends, someone said, “I don’t know how to keep my loved ones from making poor choices.” I took a deep breath and responded, “Focus on the bricks, not the house.” She stared at me quizzically with the she-has-finally-gone-mad-WTF-did-that-mean look that friends are allowed to dispense to another.

Harsh words in the heat of anger. Accusations flying with no patience or logic to restrain them. Kindness being overlooked for rightness. So much hurt can be dealt by those we love. We let them into our intimate, safe spaces. We trust them with our hearts and our realness. In return, every relationship has some risk of pain.