Sometimes our pain can be so great that we no longer have hope. It’s in these times that our soul dims, our spirit is hamstrung, and our heart darkens in ways where the promise of tomorrow seems like a dream, not a reality.

When I personally found myself in this state of the deepest pain I had ever experienced, I received a loan, a loan of hope. I still receive hope from amazing, beautiful people each day. The beauty of these loans is that those who have extended such relief do not expect me to pay them back personally. Rather, they have encouraged me to continue expressing what I have learned and how I have grown on my own personal journey to others who are experiencing profound pain themselves.

It is these beautiful people who have become my family, my community, and in many ways, my hope as partners in this great journey. It is the profound beauty and kindness of their hearts and actions that keep me going. Their path and actions inspire me to try to be a better person and to give my own heart and energy to those who cannot yet proceed confidently with their power alone. I am reminded of this often when I feel down and somehow have the opportunity to shine a small amount of light on the path of someone who is standing in darkness.

Perhaps that is the takeaway: none of us should be alone, and as long as we are open to accepting help in new and unexpected ways, none of us will be alone.