🧿 ✨enjoy your stay✨🧿

“I see you. The ones who can't sleep at night because our soul doesn't know peace. The ones who look for the beauty in darkness because it's all we have. The ones who love the wolves, instead of fearing them. The ones who play the same sad songs over and over, to feel every ounce of our emotions. The ones who wake up each day and place a smile on our face for the sake of others, so no one worries about you.

I see you, the ones who struggle to wake up and fight each day. The ones who have more bad days than good under their belt. I see you still getting up and trying, even if every ounce of you internally wants to quit. I see you.”

— B. Vigil

Times when we’re scared to acknowledge the obvious because we don’t want to upset people.

And yet...

Our grief is never lessened because someone pretends that it isn’t there.

Our sadness never ups and leaves because someone skirts around it.

And our worry does not dissipate because someone acts as if it’s invisible.

And whilst there is something to be said for perspective and distraction,

there is also something to be said for someone holding your hand and saying “I’m sorry this is happening. It’s ok if you need to cry.”

Sometimes we just need someone to acknowledge what we’re feeling.

Otherwise it’s like seeing a huge, grey cloud overhead and everyone saying, “look how blue the sky is!”

It doesn’t make us feel better. It actually makes us feel like we have to hide. Like we have to ignore what we feel. Like we have to pretend.

There is no point in pretending the sky is always blue because in reality, sometimes it is grey. Sometimes the clouds fill with rain until they simply can’t contain it anymore.

And no one pretends they’re not heavy. No one avoids telling them they’re grey. Because it would be futile. Instead, we look up at the sky and we say, “it looks like rain”.

Because acknowledging the rain doesn’t make it worse. It actually makes us better equipped for it. It actually means that, instead of drowning, we put on our coats, and we prepare for the downpour.

And we listen to the rain.

But we do it together.

Under the same umbrella.

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024

Lovely artwork by Valery Rybakou

In today’s fast-moving world, we’ve become accustomed to thinking that everyone and everything is temporary. We glorify the idea of “moving on,” believing there’s always something better waiting just around the corner. But some connections are once-in-a-lifetime. Their essence, their understanding, the way they made you feel seen and valued—these cannot be replicated, no matter how many new people you meet. Losing such a person isn’t just losing a relationship; it’s losing a piece of yourself that only they could bring to life.

We often hurt the ones who matter most, sometimes unknowingly, sometimes out of our own fears or pride. It’s easy to forget the weight of our actions or the permanence of our words when caught in the heat of the moment. We assume they’ll always be there, that there will always be time to fix things. But the harsh reality is that time isn’t always a healer, and second chances aren’t guaranteed. The person you once hurt might be the one person who understood you best. And when they’re gone, the emptiness they leave behind can be unbearable.

Not everyone waits for apologies. Not everyone gives endless chances. Some people will walk away quietly, carrying their hurt with them, and you’ll only realize what you lost when it’s too late. You’ll search for their presence in others, but no one else will shine quite the same. Their laughter, their love, their unique magic will remain unmatched.

Be mindful of the way you treat those who mean the most to you. The careless moments—harsh words, neglect, or indifference—can create wounds that never fully heal. A single moment of thoughtlessness can sever a connection that took years to build. Relationships, like glass, can shatter when handled carelessly, and no amount of regret can restore them to their original form.

Cherish those who bring light into your life. Speak with kindness, act with intention, and show gratitude while they’re still within reach. Love deeply and authentically, knowing that the rarest connections are also the most fragile. Once gone, they may never return, and no substitute will ever fill the space they leave behind. Be careful who you hurt. Some souls, some bonds, are irreplaceable.

I know what needs to be done morally I can’t. So i don’t think I’ll ever reach my full potential since I can’t fully heal.

Because it makes it sound as if my love is past tense. Gone, finished, ended.

And that is so far from the truth.

My love is not in the past. It will never be gone.

I love you now. Still.

You didn’t take all this love away with you. It stays. It lingers.

Some days it jumps up and hits me in the face just to remind me that it is still here. Still persevering.

Some days it nudges me. Challenges me to keep going. Daring me to find the strength to get through the day.

But mostly, it just resonates inside of me with everything I do. With every step forward and every glance back. Every close of my eyes. Every breath.

My love is not dependent on you being here.

There is nowhere far enough,

and nothing permanent enough

to stop me from loving you.

So I will not say I loved you.

Because I love you.

Still.

Becky Hemsley 2023

Beautiful artwork by Claude Guillaubey

"The most terrible loneliness is not the kind that comes from being alone, but the kind that comes from being misunderstood. It is the loneliness of standing in a crowded room, surrounded by people who do not see you, who do not hear you, who do not know the true essence of who you are. And in that loneliness, you feel as though you are fading, disappearing into the background, until you are nothing more than a ghost, a shadow of your former self."

I’m slowly learning that even if I react, it won’t change anything, it won’t make people suddenly love and respect me, it won’t magically change their minds.

Sometimes it’s better to just let things be, let people go, don’t fight for closure, don’t ask for explanations, don’t chase answers and don’t expect people to understand where you’re coming from.

I’m slowly learning that life is better lived when you don’t center it on what’s happening around you and center it on what’s happening inside you instead. Work on yourself and your inner peace.

~ Rania Naim

They’re watching how you handle challenges, how you rise after falling, and how you keep going even when it’s tough.

They look up to you, not just for who you are, but for the strength you show.

You are their first hero, their first role model, their guiding light.

Every step you take forward, no matter how small, teaches them resilience.

Every dream you chase teaches them courage. And every moment you refuse to give up teaches them what it means to never settle.

You’re not just building your dreams, you’re shaping theirs too.

Keep going, not just for yourself, but for the little one who believes in you more than anyone else ever could.

They want to be just like you.

Love is a force that doesn’t simply vanish when someone is no longer part of your life. It lingers, not as a chain that binds you to the past, but as a quiet reminder of the connection you once held. Even when a relationship ends or life separates you from someone you love, that love doesn’t cease to exist. Instead, it transforms—becoming softer, more reflective, and deeply intertwined with who you are. It becomes part of your story, shaping the person you continue to become.

One of the hardest truths to accept is that love doesn’t just disappear when someone is no longer physically present, whether through distance, time, or loss. That love often finds its way into quiet moments, resurfacing unexpectedly in memories or emotions. It doesn’t mean you’re holding on too tightly—it means that the bond you shared was real, meaningful, and impactful. Love, even when it evolves, has a way of leaving its mark.

Healing from a past love or the loss of someone dear isn’t about trying to erase what was. Instead, it’s about learning to carry that love in a new way. It’s about honoring the impact they had on your life while finding peace in the present. To deny that love or try to bury it completely is to deny a part of yourself. The love you shared isn’t wasted—it’s a reminder of your capacity to care deeply and connect meaningfully, and it has shaped your heart in profound ways.

Over time, the intensity of that love may fade, not because it wasn’t real, but because you’ve learned to carry it differently. It becomes less of a weight and more of a quiet strength, a reflection of your journey and growth. You’ll begin to see it not as something holding you back, but as something that enriches your understanding of love, life, and yourself. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting—it means finding a way to move forward while holding onto the lessons and memories with grace.

If you’re struggling to let go of a past love or to accept the loss of someone dear, know this: it’s okay to feel their presence in your heart. It’s okay to grieve what was, and it’s okay to honor the love you shared, even as you move forward. Let yourself feel without judgment, and trust that in time, the pain will soften into something quieter, more manageable.

It’s not the parting itself that lingers but the silence that follows—the questions left unanswered, the moments unresolved.

These farewells, steeped in ambiguity, leave us suspended in a haze of emotions, caught between what was and what could have been.

The absence of explanation becomes its own ache, an invisible weight that follows us.

Yet within this discomfort lies an invitation—not just to grieve but to grow.

Life rarely gives us the closure we crave. The human heart longs for certainty, for neat conclusions that allow us to move forward without hesitation.

We seek reasons, hoping that clarity will somehow ease the pain. But when someone leaves without explanation, the narrative is left open-ended, and the mind races to fill the void.

We replay conversations, reexamine memories, and question ourselves endlessly. Was it something we said or didn’t say? Was it avoidable? Could things have been different?

Yet the truth is, life isn’t always meant to be understood in the moment. Not every story comes with a tidy resolution. Some chapters end abruptly, forcing us to grapple with ambiguity.

And while this can feel like a betrayal of our need for understanding, it also holds a profound lesson: the opportunity to cultivate peace within ourselves, even when the world around us feels unresolved.

Every goodbye—spoken or unspoken—has something to teach us. The ones without explanation, though the most painful, are also the most transformative. They force us to confront the limits of our control. They teach us patience, resilience, and the difficult art of letting go.

In their silence, they challenge us to create our own closure, to find healing not in the answers we seek but in the strength we discover within.

Thinkers and philosophers have long explored this idea of finding meaning in the face of uncertainty.

The Stoics, for example, remind us that while we cannot control the actions of others, we can control our response to them. Marcus Aurelius, in his meditations, speaks of anchoring oneself in the present, finding tranquility within rather than searching for it in the external world. Seneca, too, reflects on the danger of expectations, reminding us that much of our suffering stems not from what happens to us but from how tightly we hold on to the way we believe life should be.

Unanswered goodbyes force us into this space of introspection. They strip away our illusions of control and remind us that closure is not something we can demand from others. True closure comes from within. It’s not about understanding why someone left or what might have gone wrong—it’s about learning to release the need for those answers. It’s about finding peace in the present, despite the shadows of the past.

This process isn’t easy. It requires us to sit with discomfort, to confront our pain without the solace of resolution. It demands that we practice forgiveness—not necessarily for the one who left, but for ourselves. Forgiveness for the moments we doubted our worth, for the times we replayed what we could not change. It asks us to extend compassion inward, to remind ourselves that our value is not determined by someone else’s choice to stay or go.

Over time, we come to understand that some stories are meant to remain unfinished. Their lessons unfold gradually, teaching us about our capacity for strength and grace. The silence of an unspoken goodbye, painful as it is, becomes a canvas for growth. It challenges us to redefine our idea of closure—not as an external resolution but as an internal state of acceptance.

We learn to trust ourselves again. To believe in our ability to navigate the uncertainties of life. Relationships, while beautiful and enriching, are not the sole source of our identity or strength. An unanswered goodbye pushes us to look inward, to discover that we are enough as we are, whole even without the explanations we once thought we needed.

The pain of an unresolved farewell doesn’t vanish overnight. It ebbs and flows, teaching us patience along the way. But with time, we find that its edges soften. The unanswered questions lose their urgency, and the silence becomes less a wound and more a space—a space where we can choose to create meaning, to cultivate resilience, and to honor our own journey.

So what do we take from these silent endings? Perhaps the most important lesson is this: we are not defined by what we’ve lost but by how we rise after losing it. The strength to move forward without answers, the courage to heal without resolution—these are quiet victories, testaments to the depth of our resilience.

Ask yourself: What does it mean to let go of the need for closure? What would it look like to trust in your ability to find peace, even in the midst of uncertainty? The answers to these questions are not easy, but they are profoundly freeing. They remind us that we are the authors of our own healing, the creators of our own meaning.

Yes, some goodbyes can be painful beyond words. But they are also transformative. They challenge us to let go, to grow, and to find strength in the silence. And in doing so, they reveal the quiet beauty of our own resilience—a beauty that no unanswered question or unresolved farewell can ever take away.🩷

I love this time – the in-between time, the time after all the gatherings and lights, the time before we swing back into the regular routines of the new year. It is the crack between the worlds, the place where dreaming can unfold and then spiral into being quickly and quietly. It is a place where, if we want them to, solitude and silence can surround us and the soul-hungers we have abandoned can find us once again. It is a time to listen deeply, to stay with stillness open to the impulse to move from the deepest part of what we are.