Teigh, Wynne, Irvin, and Ryu wish each of you a happy and safe Holiday Season.

I've always viewed life from the side lines,

Just watching it passing me by.

In the past, too afraid to just let go and live,

And lately too tired to try.

I've envied the people around me

So invested in living each day,

While I spent my time hiding out from the world

And searching for ways to escape.

For most of my life I truly believed

I was here to help somebody else,

But now it's so clear it was just an excuse.

To avoid living life for myself.

It's sad that our lives and the pain we endure

Can weaken our strength to move on,

But if we get lost in the scars of our past,

Without knowing our lives will be gone.

It's true, people are disappointing,

They can turn in the blink of an eye,

But we can't avoid hurting each other,

When we all want a chance at this life.

But there's something I've learned through the wisdom of age,

A truth about all of our lives,

And that is no matter what path we each take,

In the end, we just want to survive.

So the time has now come to conquer my fears

And to stand up and face a new day.

Let the hurts of my past wash away with my tears

And stop letting my life slip away.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/finding-hope