It’s a beautiful thing.

It teaches us a lot.

It’s not always easy,

But deep down, we have a will to succeed.

It’s so steep some days.

It’s like climbing a mountain and having no will.

It’s failure.

It’s all the lessons learned.

It’s everything and everyone.

Who told you

You will not make it?

I’m here,

Because I did.

I accomplished a lot.

I stopped comparing myself

And ripped up the list of things

I should have accomplished by a certain age.

I let God plan my life,

And I’m grateful because of it.

You have a calling on this beautiful earth.

Some will run from it,

Others will wonder what it is.

You will know your calling at the appointed time.

But first, you must humble yourself,

Turn from your wicked ways,

Go to the highest mountain

And pray

For everyone and everything

With every tear in your body crying out for mercy

And then get up and walk back down the mountain

And wait

For the appointed time.

You will wait, wait, and wait.

Then you start to wonder what it is

Until one day,

You know

It’s something you just cannot explain…

This is it!

Then you ask yourself:

Now what?

It’s so precious.

It’s something we all share equally.

It doesn’t stop if you’re depressed, sad, or happy.

We all have 24 hours in a day.

No matter what your ethnicity, gender, or race is,

We all share this one commodity equally on earth.

It’s a beautiful thing—

Time spent traveling,

Time spent seeing family,

Time spent learning…

What will you do with your time?

Waste it partying and drinking…

It’s your choice and your time.

Spend it wisely,

For time waits for no man.

It’s freedom.

It’s all your dreams and wishes.

It’s one passport.

We all hope and dream

Of traveling the world one day

Until it actually happens.

It’s a whirlwind of emotions.

It’s running through the airport

About to miss a flight.

But instead, you’re standing on a mountain

Taking a deep breath.

The heart beats slower and slower.

I travel not for accolades,

I travel for me.

Many have questions.

Some will hate me because of it.

Thankfully, that it’s medicine

For my heart and soul.

It’s hard.

It takes every vein in your body.

It’s all the pain,

All the wrong they’ve done.

It’s hard.

You just can’t understand.

All these questions,

Starting with why:

Why me?

Why this?

Why now?

You look deep in your soul

And say:

I forgive you

For all the wrong you’ve done,

For all the pain you’ve caused,

For all the lost tears.

It hurts

And it stings,

But I must forget in order to move on

To something beautiful.

I forget you.

A new beginning awaits

Just around the corner...

It rages in your soul.

It’s from all the past traumas of life.

It’s right in front of your eyes.

You battle this for months and years and decades.

It’s passed down from generation to generation,

But why let it control you?

Something so little

With so much control

Over

Your emotion,

Your mood,

Your feelings,

Your today and your tomorrow.

It’s just a feeling,

It’s your choice.

You can choose to be angry today,

But it’s your choice.

You can choose happiness or anger;

It’s your choice.

Yes, the anger stems from

All the problems in life,

But it’s still your choice.

Life is like a hill.

Some hills are steeper than others.

One step at a time,

We struggle through life,

We rest and take breaks,

And we go back up the hill.

Till one day,

We want to turn around

And forget it all.

Then we remind ourselves

Of all the things we overcame,

All the challenges and the disappointments,

The pain and the sorrow,

All of the happy tears.

Life is something you just can’t see.

No one knows what lies ahead…

No one

But God.

Till one day, we realize it was all worth it.

They don’t worry about the struggle you’ve been through;

They worry about the hate they bring you.

It’s buried deep down in their soul.

It’s like they want to explode.

Their jealousy,

Their pain,

Their sorrow,

The life they think you have…

They don’t know what it cost you.

It’s all such hard work.

But instead, they hate you and your life,

All the sacrifices you made,

All the tears you cried,

All the sorrow you’ve been through,

All those sleepless nights

Wondering “what if?”

Hate is like looking at yourself in the mirror

And not seeing or loving yourself.

Hate is a dark phase,

For evil hates the light,

So why hate?

It’s something you cannot see.

It makes your bones tremble at night.

It makes us long to be warriors of the night.

But how?

It’s looking at the devil straight in the eye

And not seeking revenge.

Revenge for everything you’ve done

And all the pain inside.

I want that revenge.

Revenge for all the tears shed

And all the things said.

For all the hate you spread.

The rumors, both good and bad.

But then again, it’s courage.

It’s looking within and saying…

I love you!

We all have friends,

But what is a friend?

They love us unconditionally, always and forever—

So deeply that it’s scary sometimes.

They are always there for you.

They celebrate your every win as their own.

They see you at your best and worst,

But they don’t laugh at you.

Instead, they help you when life gets hard.

They don’t envy you,

But embrace you.

They love and cherish you

For who you are,

Not what you have.

Nor do they talk about you behind your back.

They love you for you.

My dear friend…

Thank you.