I nurture naturally.

I see and feel the world deeply.

The beauty and the brokenness. The love and the hate.

But often, I see through the lens of what it could be, instead of what it is.

It extends beyond my daily encounters.

If I could save every hungry baby, bring every soldier home from war, and love every abandoned child, I would.

Big words—I know.

My heart has a hard time understanding this world, comprehending the unspeakable, because I just don’t believe that we are here to live this out of touch with what is sacred.

To be so afraid of love that we turn to hate.

To be so overstimulated and undervalued that we turn to self-sabotage.

To have access to so much, yet use it for little good.

The morning news has become the place that we discuss tragedy like it’s routine, while we sip our morning coffee.

Worrying for our child’s safety when we drop them off for a day in second grade.

Looking over our shoulder when we walk in the dark.

Thinking twice about that short dress on a night out.

And we exist in the truth that the media limits our ability to protect the ones we love the most.

Somewhere along the way, the world lost its way—and we followed, allowing what was once unspeakable to now be normalized.

It hurts my heart.

Love conquers hate, but we have forgotten how to love.

I’m guilty of not doing enough, not using my voice, or extending my resources.

I don’t spread enough love.

I say I have a big heart, yet keep it wrapped up for fear that my impact would be meaningless.

But I want to raise babies someday in a different kind of world.

A world that knows how to love.

A world that doesn’t live in fear, or behind screens.

A world where cruelty is no longer the norm, and kindness comes out of hiding.

My heart often feels the desire to save all the hearts that have gone astray—quickly overwhelmed and unsure of where to start.

The first step is within my own heart.

It is in believing that that tiniest step forward is felt, and if we all take it, it may just shake us back.