
An old one, but still so very relevant ![]()
The angels remind us to let ourselves be outraged by injustice and anguished by untruth, and also to hold onto Peace and Love as the anchors by which change is born.

Light rising in her mind,
Peace flowing as she finds
Her way through hazy days
And sleepless nights,
Each bold, new step,
Each dream held tight
Open doors to so much more
©Ashley Castle Barnes

And what of peace,
Which flowers in her fertile soil
Inching ever closer to the sun,
Aching for her return,
A love not lost, but seeking
Casting shadows towards the dawn
©Ashley Castle Barnes

She feels the stirring
The welling up inside
From deep within the darkest places
Which crave for light and beauty and peace
Gathering all this life has to offer
Into moments which propel her forward
Step by step by step
©Ashley Castle Barnes

What if she doesn’t need sadness
in order to teach her joy?
What if she doesn’t need rejection
in order to understand love?
What if she doesn’t need turmoil
in order to experience peace?
What if she doesn’t need darkness
in order to see her light?
©Ashley Castle Barnes

I have been given peace,
though it is often elusive and difficult to identify
amidst the blessed chaos –
sacred moments of wild laughter,
piercing grief, hugs that linger to the bone –
I trust that peace is there, embedded in the living of life
©Ashley Castle Barnes

She tries to imagine
Her way out
Her mind heavy with visions
Of peace, love, radical acceptance
But she knows
As she treads along the path
That one sacred foot in front of the other
Is the only way through
©Ashley Castle Barnes

If her life were suddenly
All sorted out
Would everything be rosy,
Would she walk through gardens
Thick with blooms smiling
Up at her,
Taking in their fragrance as a gift,
And would her rosy disposition
Mask her truth
That perfection does not propagate peace
©Ashley Castle Barnes