Morgan Harper Nichols wrote a beautiful poem about June and the hope of new beginnings. I wanted to share it with all of you tied in with a personal story of a mom I worked with, *Lily, to share the hope and new beginnings we believe we will see take place in our support home. I hope you enjoy it!
I met Lily in March of 2018. She was short, had a cute pixie cut, tattoos on her arms, piercings galore, a big smile, and the best laugh. She plopped down in my office chair multiple times a day. She liked to update me on life, her job and the kids. Lily had a hard life, she was raised in a strict family and had lots of religious and cultural pressure put on her. She married a man that was extremely abusive, joined a gang, and got addicted to meth.
Perhaps, even here, in June, there is still time for new beginnings.
When Lily moved into our safe home, she was trying to get away from her husband, rebuild familial relationships, get off the drugs, and get her kids back. She had an ambitious fiery spirit, she was a go getter, and didn’t settle. She pushed herself, and the women in the house. She fought for her kids, for their future, and her own future.
There is still abundant room for you to believe in the possibility of what could be.
I watched Lily get her life back on track, I saw confidence rise up within her, I saw beauty flow from out of her. I listened to that laugh more and more, I met her sweet children, and saw who they were becoming because of who their mom was choosing to be.
Breathe in the same air of every beautiful thing, from garden lilies to mountain peaks, may all of it remind you: you are free.
I went with Lily to look at apartments as she turned her dreams into reality. We envisioned where the kids’ beds would go, and what kind of table they would share a meal at. She smiled with tears in her eyes as joy welled up knowing this home would soon be there’s to share!
You are free to let June be what June needs to be. Let it feel like the soft fire of a new morning sun. Let it be an invitation right in the middle of the year to continue to become.
The day Lily moved out was a celebration! She had gotten her license and a car, she moved into a manager role at the salvation army, and got the keys to her new apartment. As I hugged her goodbye, I knew as she left my arms, soon, 3 kids would be entering her arms!
Keep becoming, keep becoming who you are meant to be.
June has just begun and I hope you find the same invitation to become all you were meant to be, to take hold of the sweet invitation of June, let it be what you need it to be,
For perhaps even here, in June, there is still time for new beginnings! -MHN
Really beautiful! <3