Participant's Poem 📖

**This poem was originally published on November 27th, 2023 in our November 2023 digital newsletter**

I longed to be free and I longed to soar,

 but my butterfly wings were broken and they needed to be restored.

I walked a long and lonely journey on the boulevard of broken dreams,

my trust and faith in humanity itself was ripping at the seams.

Would I find safety or would I ever be truly free?

Would my heart be filled with love and laughter? What was to become of me?

With a prayer and hope in something more I turned my tear-stained face to the skies.

I begged God for guidance, mercy, and grace.

He lovingly answered my cries.

He brought me faith, he brought me peace,

and on the journey that I now travel I find a beautiful release.

A release from my burdens that I held so close and true,

my soul has been reborn and my essence has been renewed.

Slowly and carefully my wings began to mend.

I know I will fly to my destiny, I know that my soul will ascend.

The past does not define me and in myself I believe.

My future holds endless treasures with amazing things to see.

I write what I feel and use words to mend my broken song.

I take flight on a breeze and I soar far beyond,

far beyond my past and far beyond my demons.

I have been reborn and I now know God is my reason.

Love surrounds me and I have endless faith.

My soul soars with mended wings at a never-ceasing pace.

Below me the cascade of my triumphant epiphany blankets over the earth.

My wings are no longer broken or bent for I have had my soul’s rebirth.

The above poem was written by one of our participants, who asked to have her words shared via the newsletter.