a little's enough

It's very apparent in the world today that things are not easy. Everyday we face something that threatens to pull us down and destroy all that we've worked for, but there is hope. There is always hope.

Cause we are broken
What must we do to restore our innocence
And all the promise we adored?
Give us life again, cause we just wanna be whole.

Poets, musicians, artists, regular people. All of them share the same message of love. Love never fails; love heals all wounds; hate is easy, love takes courage; where there is love there is life; love is the movement. The message is always the same and carries the same strength. Everyone wants to feel loved, everyone wants to say they have a reason to go on and live the life they have always wanted. You would think a concept as universal as love would be easy to remember and use, but, sadly, there is far too much hate in this world. Nation against nation, people against people, brother against brother. Many battles hit even closer to home as people battle their inner demons, too often this is the case. People forget they are loved, forget that they have made a difference for someone, sometime. An enduring message of love can do so much.

The cure is if you let in just a little more love.
I promise you this, a little's enough.

Something as simple as a smile can change the course of a persons day, we can be that love. We can share that message. One person at a time, we can spread that hope, spread that love. The chain reaction will spread like fire, bringing peace of mind to those who desperately need it. All it takes is just a little love, I promise you this, a little's enough.

start again

It often feels like coming in to life we've been set up for failure. There is no way to come out without facing some kind of pain, some kind of heartache. The beautiful thing, though, is that we have the chance to start again. There is the opportunity to change. We can learn, grow, become better. We aren't forced to stay the same person we've always been, there are so many ways we can become the change we want to see in the world. We have to stand up and be that person we want to be though, we can't sit back and expect change to just happen.

Be the change you want to see in the world. - Ghandi

It's up to us to start over and be all that we can be. To take action and make our lives and the lives of those around us better.

We will hold together
to become the change

my heart

I am finding out that maybe I was wrong
That I've fallen down
And I can't do this alone
Stay with me
This is what I need, please

Too often people get caught up in trying to be so independent, myself included. Accepting help is one of the hardest things to do because that's like admitting you can't do it. Admitting that defeat pulls at self esteem and makes our shortcomings blatantly obvious. As hard as it is though, it's often necessary. There is so much we don't understand, so much we can't even comprehend. We could make it through life on our own, but not only would it be much more difficult, it would also be very sad and stressful. The joy of connections is that we can turn to those people closest to us and ask for help. They are there to buoy us up and help us when all else seems lost. It's amazing how much support one person can provide. We all face those times when all seems lost, when it seems like going on isn't even worth it. But then there's that one person. The one person who comes in and takes what is left of our heart and holds it together until we can do it ourselves. Whether it is a family member, a friend, a significant other, or God, without fail there is a network of support all around us that we take for granted. Trials are a part of life, a part of learning and growing. Through them we can learn how far we can go and when we need to seek help. Seeking that help is far from admitting defeat though. There are people in our lives who are there, just waiting for us to reach out a hand. Waiting for the moment when they can come in and be the shoulder to cry on.

Sing us a song and we'll sing back to you
We could sing our own
But what would it be without you?

brave

many people talk about how it's hard to be brave in the midst of trial, but sometimes it's even harder when those you love are facing trials that threaten to pull them under. You want so bad to help them, to keep them afloat, but inside you're hurting as well. Some people live their life seeking to help those around them, they live to be the shoulder to cry on. While this noble sacrifice keeps their friends going, it often pulls them away from their own problems. Empathizing with others is emotionally draining enough, then add on top of that your own trials and pains and the result is a person who has no release. Rather than dealing with those problems, they seek to lift up everyone else and store their own problems on a high shelf away from reality. This often leads to more problems because everything begins to build up and soon the entire shelf crumbles and you're left in a mass of pain and heartache as everything you've worked to hide from the world becomes a blatant flag flying above you. You're forced to face everything at once, an insurmountable task that can bring even the strongest to their knees. At times like this we can't stand alone, we need those around us. It's a continuous circle of support. We lift up those around us and, in turn, they will be there when all of reality comes crashing down.

I'll follow through I promise to hold on
I'll never let go won't let you down
If you can stay proud I'll be brave somehow...

this circle

Take this time to realize
That you always shut your eyes
In the midst of trial

Sometimes it's hard to face those things that we fear the most. It's difficult to come to terms with the fact that life is gonna hit us hard, we're going to fall, we're going to fail. If we're not careful, we get stuck in a vicious circle, one in which we fail, then get frustrated, then continue to fail because of out frustrations. We continually talk ourselves down and undercut any hope we have of overcoming those things because it seems to be fruitless. Trials, though hard, are refining. They purify us, help us eliminate the flaws of our character that would seek to always pull us down.

This circle never ends
And it's time you
Just face it, don't pretend.

Hiding from our inadequacies and pains will only make them worse. Face what is before you, stand up and tell the world that it can't bring you down. We are all the captains of our souls, the masters of our lives, nothing can stand in the way of what we truly want to accomplish. With dedication and desire we don't have to settle, we don't have to end up in that circle that takes over the lives of so many.

secret crowds

too often in this day and age we allow ourselves to get caught up in the turmoil and drama of everyday living. politics, hate, violence, suffering; it's everywhere. How are we supposed to enjoy life when all around is pain and pressure? Pressure to make decisions, pressure to look perfect, pressure to be involved in everything, pressure to fit in. Why can't we just laugh and play? When did success become all that mattered? What about happiness? Joy? Love? Love, a word that seems to have lost a lot of meaning in recent times. Love can bring us through any trial we face, any pain we feel, any hate we endure. Whether is be the love of a friend, husband, wife, significant other, or the love of God. η αγάπη κατακτά όλοι- love conquers all. Truer words have never been uttered. I've seen the results of love, I've experienced the power of it. Why does it seem that love is such a secret thing? It's like people are afraid to show love. Afraid of swimming against the current, afraid of ruffling feathers. Don't fear, just love. It doesn't matter who, just love everyone. Black, white, brown, gay, straight, male, female. Whoever you see just love. Would you rather have a future filled with happy memories of love and friendships, or a future filled with regrets and lost opportunities. It's up to us, we can change this world, we can make it better.

Let me heal you, carry you higher
Watch our words spread hope like fire
Secret crowds rise up and gather
Hear your voices sing back louder.

time and confusion

confusion is part of life, especially in college. There's always something to do and never enough time to do it in. Sometimes we get so weighed down with the seemingly insurmountable tasks before us that it's easy to give up, it's easy to be angry with those around us because getting angry at the assignments seems fruitless. Little things set us off more easily than usual and sometimes it's too easy to lose ourselves in the fray. It's too easy at these times to retreat to our rooms and be bitter about everything which lays before us, but it's at these times when we truly need others. It's at these times when we need to the outside opinion of those that care about us. It's at these times when we truly need our friends. No one knows us better than the people we associate with on a daily basis, those we consider to be our close friends. I've found some of my friends often know me better than I know myself. In the times when all seems lost and it feels like rock bottom will be our best friend forever we need to turn to those friends and ask for help. Not only ask for help, but accept help not asked for. We can't do this alone, if we were meant to go through life alone there would be no point in making friends at all. We're given souls that need companionship, souls that crave interaction.

And it feels like we could last forever
And I'm not doing to do this alone
When memories fade
We've got each other
When time and confusion collide

True joy is found in our relationships with those around us.