Rise And be grateful. Count your blessings And be thankful.
You’ve opened your eyes To a new day, And new possibilities. You never know What God is building quietly Behind the scenes, With any one of Your intentionally Planted seeds.
New opportunities Are coming. Be patient. Keep believing In the silence Of the seemingly mundane And be gracious. Thanks to impermanence Everything can change- Rise up and be courageous. Keep working hard, And following your heart. God is walking alongside you- Remain steadfast.
You are stronger And more capable Than you realize- Remember that.
One day at a time. One right decision at a time. One foot in front of the other. Baby steps And BIG, deep breaths You can do this!
The ‘Soulshine’ title is symbolic of the inner light, joy, and resilience that comes from deep within a person’s spirit, especially during or following hard times.
Difficult times don’t define us. They arise and remind us Of who we are at our core, And what we are made of. They don’t happen to make us bitter. I believe they arrive to make us better; Humble reminders of what matters most, They ground us, and renew our compassion And grace for one another, and the battles we face- And they have the ability to make our souls shine, And radiate so much bigger and brighter- If only we have the courage to keep our hearts Open – to the possibility.
This painting celebrates the vibrancy of life, And the light that radiates outward – even in the aftermath.
There’s so much peace In surrendering, And letting go of the heaviness That’s been weighing on my Heart, body, mind, and soul.
I’m learning to lean in To the life that awaits me Eagerly- Rather than living in fear Of my fate, And all the worry Of the unknown That has plagued me.
There’s a light inside That’s starting to flicker, And shine- Again Brighter, and brighter With every layer I shed, And intentionally let go of. Releasing years Of grief and suffering I’ve worn And held onto Like a coat of armor That became my identity- In place of who, and what I once was.
Surrendering To a place of More ease, What is, And what will be. Honoring my past, And setting it free. Rich in forgiveness And compassion. Filled with gratitude, Growth, New opportunities, Abundance, And alive with A new light, Renewed love, And rising above. Thankful for Every single day I awake And for every breath I get to take.
I am no longer that Woman who once felt like a Beautiful shade of broken. And every day I’m gifted Moving forward, I will be working towards Becoming a more vibrant, And beautiful shade Of human.
I know Everyone won’t like My poetry, What I paint, The art I create, Or what I have to say.
I know what I do Isn’t everyone’s Cup of tea. And that doesn’t Offend me. If it’s not for you, That’s totally Okay.
I am also well aware That I am not the best At any one thing I do. But I do MY best Doing what I love, And I feel immense Gratitude When I get to share My passions With each one of you.
Writing poetry And creating art Feel like Breathing air for me. Both – are necessary. Both – I feel deeply.
Making art is Chasing joy, Imagination, Color. Magic, And beauty. It’s paint- Celebrating, And dancing, It’s energy. It’s transforming, And healing.
Writing poetry Is the art of sorting And processing life. Like solving A jigsaw puzzle Of emotions- With rhythm And sound And your own Heartbeat In an open diary. Whether it’s Reflective, Nostalgic, Complex, Painful, Confusing, And messy. It’s a beautiful Art of raw Vulnerability And humanity.
What fulfills me most Is human connection. And doing my best To be a beacon Of light- And inspiration To others. Because those Who inspire me, Make this life Feel more freeing,, With more purpose And meaning- And there are many!
I want to Remind you- That you don’t Have to be THE very best- In order to be A bright light For those around you. Be brave enough To chase your dreams And help make This world More vibrant just By offering YOUR best At whatever it is You feel called to do. Following your heart Doesn’t have to be Perfect. It just needs you To keep showing up, And keep following through- And I really hope you do.
LET GO Of the guilt That shames you away From allowing Your body to heal.
LET GO Of the need To constantly be moving. It’s okay to rest And be still.
LET GO Of the push To always be busy In a culture That tells you- You must.
INSTEAD, Give yourself permission To pause and reflect- Away from Society’s rush.
Take in some deep breaths And push them all out To release, Reground, And reset.
Tune out And take time To recharge In the silence- How quickly We all forget.
Allow the warmth Of the sunshine To rest on your face As you slowly return To center. This sacred space Is where healing begins- Because the outside world Cannot enter.
Today is beautiful. Because I woke up Again. A new day. Another chance To live. To breathe. To feel my heart beat. Alive with love. And gratitude. Holding all the beauty Like golden treasures Of all our memories made- Together. … And the excitement That exists for all The memories Left for us to make. … I can’t wait.
The blue sky. The calm. The serene White, wispy brush strokes Of highlights Blending the white Into blue… The sun exploding In the east. Bright, bold And beautiful.
May this day Be filled with abundance And blessings For all of you!
Nestled in And snuggled up Basking in the peace, Blanketed within the glow Of the beautiful silence Just before dawn…
The early morning light Begins to rise… Ever so slowly Like a single flame Flickering gently- Growing and spreading Into an explosion of light and color Across the entire eastern skyline- God’s painting in real time- In the most profound And heartwarming way- Like a giant good morning hug Sent from the heavens Wrapped in sunshine And covered in love.
The pure magic And beauty of this life And this world Is so profound And powerful, And suddenly Becomes exponentially More meaningful When a test or tests Call your current health Into question.
The sky, the clouds, The colors of the sunrise And sunset- The trees, the birds And majestic Colorado Snow-capped mountain tops. The open fields And still waters. If we just pause For a moment And ponder… Just how lucky are we To be surrounded By such magnificent beauty. I’m continually in awe Of nature’s tranquility. In times like this- The sheer beauty Just hits me- Differently.
Waking up each morning And getting to rise With the ones That you love. Getting to see them, And tell them good morning, And being able to Show them your love. And oh- The pure magic In their heartfelt, And comforting hugs. What a gift. What magic to behold. These simple treasures Make us far richer Than any amount Of gold.
I am over the moon Grateful For this life, For our family, And all of our friends. For our laughter, And every moment- Together. For our memories, Adventures, And light-hearted Shenanigans. For the gift Of this new day. For getting to Rise again- For this moment Right now, For the air I breathe, And for the strength Of my body Still carrying me- Forward. And onward. I am grateful!
To our beautiful son, Dason, Who wasn’t meant To stay here on earth… I will never forget you Or the day of your birth.
I honored your life By delivering you As if you were To be born alive. It was the only way I knew how to show you- Just how much love We held for you inside.
In times of great sorrow, You never cease to Surprise and amaze me- By showing up In the most beautiful And unexpected ways.
Today- I walked outside After a few days of Feeling somber And sad inside.
And the most Vibrant dragonfly Was laid to rest Right at my feet As if it had been Perfectly placed And was waiting there Just for me.
My tears were instant. A giant lump in my throat, My heart skipped a beat. I knew in that moment It was you. A giant hug from above A gift of grace And all the love And comfort I So desperately longed for.
I see you And feel your spirit Through your Heaven-sent signs And dragonfly eyes. I am endlessly grateful For you And I love you With all my heart And bigger than The whole sky.
Some battles Just aren’t worth All the tears that come.
Some might say That all these patterns Are too much For the eye to see… And I did- Because that was me.
Until I realized What the magnitude Of my words to her Might convey…
That she is Too much, Too bold, And too different For this world to see… And to please tone it down For all others, And for the pride Of the mother in me.
And that reflection Stopped me cold In my tracks And broke my heart for her. These patterns, All of these Beautiful flowers, And this outfit All of her own choosing Are NOT too much For this world And me to see.
Rather- They are A breath of fresh air. A palette of innocence, And pure and simple Happiness. This outfit Now makes my heart Smile with joy- For she is a force To be reckoned with. She is a beacon of light, Kindness, love, And quick wit. She is smart, bold, fierce, Creative, and beautiful, And dances to the beat Of her own drum… And I will no longer Tell her that her outfits Are too much For this world Or for me- Because her imagination, And her bright shining spirit Is everything This world and I both need.
I took a giant leap of faith, and followed my heart instead of listening to my fears. I went on a journey of art and healing with an amazing group of women that I’m now proud to call my friends. I stand in awe of our experiences together.
This is a poem I wrote after I bought my plane tickets. You should also know it took me 3 times of getting all the way to end where you confirm – before I actually did. The fear was loud, but my faith was louder. This was one of the most empowering experiences I’ve ever had. I’m forever grateful.
“Teotihuacan Feb. 2025 – Leap of Faith”
I just took A GIANT leap of faith. Scary! Terrifying actually! My heart is racing… And the logical Part of my brain Is bracing itself… And wondering why I just jumped Without a net To catch my fall- And yet Something Deeper within My spirit Told me To just answer The call. Told me I must! Told me to trust! Asked me to believe. Have blind faith in that Which you cannot Foresee! And my higher self Is applauding me, And celebrating My bravery- And rejoicing in The open-minded Parts of me Willing to Finally let go. Let go Of every self doubt, Every roadblock, And excuse That has been This barrier Enslaving me, And belittling me Since I was 19. Because My higher self Sees the real me. Believes in me. Sees my Unique qualities, My strengths, And every possibility Deep down Inside of me. Maybe- The lioness Within me is Awakening… And jumping Was just The beginning Of my trajectory- To inner glory. And the beginning- Of my NEW life story.
I’m terrified. But my soul Is on fire With a light Brighter Than anything I have ever felt Before. Something Has been ignited Deep within My spirit, At my core And I am ready And eager For ALL that’s In store…
Today is a gift In this very moment As you sit here now, Breathing, seeing, Feeling and being. This- is living. This- is the present.
Life is a treasure To behold, And to cherish. No day is perfect But every single one, Holds something within- A blessing or blessings To relish.
Let perfection go- And allow Your life To unfold In the most Beautiful ways- As you follow Your heart, And listen To that little Voice inside- Nudging, And guiding you. This- is your intuition And your guides Lighting the path, And realigning you.
Allow your light To shine For all those Around you To see and to feel. This- is the center Of your spirit. This- is love. The truest And purest, Most beautiful part of you.
Today is a gift. Celebrate it. Gratitude is Knocking On your door- Answer it. Life is a mirror Of what you choose To project. So, protect it. Choose your Words and your Thoughts wisely. And if something Within this day Doesn’t go your way- Let it. Change your lens, Find your peace, And accept it. Happiness is a choice. Remember that. New opportunities Are unfolding Before you- Open your heart And be willing to listen. Have faith And trust in it.
I’m so proud of you For getting through Every hardship, Every battle, And every struggle That came from Every difficult storm You walked through.
I’m so proud of you For every part Of grief you Overcame. For moving through Every feeling You felt, For allowing Your heart to cry- As you Stoically, Quietly, Or powerfully, And painfully Wept.
I’m so proud- That when the timing Was just right for you, You chose To finally Let it all go. Let go of your pain, And suffering, The anger, And sorrow, And everything That no longer Served you- And in the same breath You decided To step outside of Your comfort zone. And you chose Joy and happiness. You chose to rise, and To spread your wings, In order to grow, And glow Into the new, Courageous, Powerful and Radiant YOU.
Shine your light bright For the whole wide world To see- And to feel. Choose to Love yourself A whole lot more, And a whole lot better… Please promise me You will. Please offer yourself Forgiveness, And allow yourself More grace- With even more space For love, compassion, And patience… For doing your best. For who you are And where you are- Right now At this very moment, And in this place. Because- You and I both know That this life isn’t easy! And I just wanted you to know- That I think you’re doing great!
I’ve grown To understand- There is great power In acceptance. By surrendering To your current reality, You free up Enormous space & energy. Stop fighting- A losing battle. Choose to rise up, And light- A brand new candle. Open your heart And your mind Toward new, Forward movement, And opportunities. This eye-opening Realization Will become- Your blossoming, Your purpose, Your new identity. It’s time to surrender, And finally let go- Of your anger, Bitterness, And sorrow. For holding on- Will only hold off Tomorrow. And fighting it Will only- Keep you stuck In your same old, Broken tracks. Pray for the courage To move on- In faith, and hope And for new possibilities. For the time has come- For you to take Your power back.
Life’s most precious moments- are fleeting. My heart is alive and well, and still beating.
I’ve been busy living every minute- to the fullest. In the quiet moments, I am grieving. But in the face of it all, I remain upright and stoic.
I may crumble in the dark- but God brings me right back to His light. I may get angry at the journey that lies in front of me. But God is holding my hand tight.
I didn’t ask for this, and I’d rather not have to do it. But God brought me to this- and He will bring me through it.
I choose to set my sights on every silver lining that lies before me. I choose faith over fear, and I hold onto hope with all the courage I have- even while I am mourning.
I believe wholeheartedly that our life journey is for a reason. We may not understand our hardships or life difficulties- but we must remain steadfast, trust in Him and keep believing.
I will give my all- to be a beacon of bright light for all who may go down a similar life journey. This isn’t me going into battle. This is me going through some tough-ass moments, letting go, big personal growth, and so much learning.
Cancer does not, and will not ever define me. I will rise and face the music directly in front of me, bask in God’s healing light, and breathe in peace, as I begin the painful process of leaving this cancer behind me.
