Stubborn Light

Listen. Rock bottom taught me something nobody talks about. I was there

last winter, watching my savings disappear like snow. My neighbor Maria lost her husband

and still baked every morning. The smell of fresh bread became my alarm clock.

Down the street, James painted murals, hands shaking but never stopping. I started walking

at dawn, just to move. One morning, frost covered everything like diamonds.

We were all out there, broken pieces catching the light. We didn't fix

each other, we just showed up. Hope is stubborn, and it lives

in the people who refuse to let you disappear.