One tree can start a forest
One smile can begin a friendship
One hand can lift a soul
One word can frame a goal
One candle can wipe out darkness
One laugh can conquer gloom
One hope can raise our spirits
One touch can show you care
One life can make a difference…
Be that one today.
-BJ Gallagher
◊
May we be those willing to take the first step.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
💙
Do you currently live with a chronic health condition or care for someone who does? Have you overcome a significant health event in the past? Would you like to use your experience to inspire others who may be going through similar circumstances while simultaneously expanding your own blog readership?
If so, PhoebeMD would like to invite you to submit your story to be considered for publication!
By Chris Reed | Featured Contributor
James Hillman told me
the demons will come
at night in old age,
and will settle
on my bed,
on my chest,
in my hair,
in my head,
in my guts,
and prod me awake.
Befriend them he says.
They are your demons.
They are here to help.
And know you are
enough worn with years
to be not afraid.
Drink tea.
Pay heed.
Converse.
If you look them in the eye,
know you’ll soon be gone,
so don’t care what they think,
they will give you quarter
and disarm.
Then you can hold them close,
like children,
with sharp claws and teeth,
and comfort them.
For their torments are yours;
their shadows are your shadows.
Hand in hand in the night,
no one is afraid of the dark.
By Barbara Leonhard, Featured Contributor
[Part 2 – Alzheimer’s: Grieving the Loss of My Mother]
I processed grief over Mom’s struggle with Alzheimer’s through poetry writing. The fact that caregivers—such as myself and many other poets—can relieve grief through poetry supports my belief that poetry is both the memoir of and the medicine for the soul. Poetry is a means to storytelling, witnessing the human condition in a personal way. What am I thinking, praying, hoping for? How am I hurting? What has happened to me? How can I understand it? How can I share it? Who will witness my pain?
Poetry provides a creative outlet for the release of pain, for healing. It explores the soul. Reading the poems of others who have gone through similar experiences as mine is reassuring because I realize that I am not alone. I could also share my experiences of loss and grief.
![On the Days That Hurt [a poem]](https://i0.wp.com/healthinspiration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pexels-photo-355235.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
![The Fire Didn’t Burn You Down [a poem]](https://i0.wp.com/healthinspiration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/butterfly-chess-board-women-s-board-edelfalter-158327.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
