I thank God for continued healing.
I have had to yield and allow my body to endure the hurt, releasing my ego more times than I can remember.
Though I have been saved and revitalized countless times.
There is healing in this rain, and growth flourishes in his presence.
Joy flows through like water through a dam, released through prayer and faith.
God has never lost sight of me, even when I could no longer find myself.
No words can measure my thanks.
Still, I raise my hands in praise anyway.

-Rhia Clay

Pain poured from my being, dripping from my fingertips like blood. Emotion scaled the walls and crept into my heart like a silent scream.
My heart beat inside my mind, its pace quickening, and my senses heightened.
My body felt the ache of the war that tore through me.
I am still healing from the battles this world has ****** upon me.
My body feels like a war zone.
I gasp through the tremors of pain, night terrors clinging to my sheets.
My jaw is tight from clenching; pain is a constant, and I am still here.
I am still fighting.

-Rhia Clay

I don’t have many words today, as the day’s work has worn me down. Instead, I possess a quiet but firm resolve. Softly, under my breath, I whisper “Jesus,” and for now, this is enough...

-Rhia Clay

Value your own peace enough to guard it fiercely.
Regard it as something precious,
because it is.
Make no apologies for doing what you think is right to maintain your sense of peace.
No one understands you better than you,
what you must do to take care of yourself,
and you owe no one an apology for how you choose to protect your energy, your peace.

-Rhia Clay

I said that we were done, and that all ties between us had been severed.
Yet, my body betrays me, for I trace your heart in my sleep, as I cannot forget its shape...

-Rhia Clay

The melodic chirping of crickets filled the air, while the hum of passing engines blended with nature, creating a meditative atmosphere of their own.
She lay there, observing as Mother Nature, the magnificent artist she is, crafted a tapestry of darkness, transitioning day into night.
She drifted in and out of sleep.
In that beautiful, dream-like state,
where one feels suspended between two worlds.
Caught in the liminal space.
The wind caressed her face, and she embraced its gentle touch.
The day had been lengthy, wearing her down.
Still, the night offered its serenity,
and she wrapped herself in it,
finding her solace in its song.

-Rhia Clay

A spiritual journey is funny.
Just when you think you've lost, you've actually won.
Not because you gave up, but because you learned to let go...

-Rhia Clay

She observed the eagles gliding gracefully in flawless circles around her.
Up here on the mountaintop, the wind was her companion.
It murmured gently to her, "breathe deeply, it's time to live again."

-Rhia Clay

As the 4th of July approaches, people prepare their fireworks and barbecues.
They emerge from their cozy corners, their towns and homes.
All getting ready for the festivities, their eyes sparkling with the anticipation of joy and relaxation.
I look up at my colorful banners and blue balloons, gently swaying in the breeze.
I shut my eyes and breathe in the aroma of barbecued meat mingled with a trace of smoke drifting from a nearby restaurant.
A sense of peace washes over me, accompanied by a bittersweet feeling as I remember a loved one who left this world on this American holiday.
It was 1997, and I was merely ten years old when the man I called my father took his final breath. I was just a child, and my world shattered into pieces as I watched him fight. I felt powerless to change the course of events, understanding that nothing could hold his spirit back from departing this life.
My tiny hands and aching heart were unable to save him.
Yet his compassion lives on in this world and within me. His love remains unforgotten.
Through my father, I experienced a love that was unconditional, and I carry that in my heart with affection and remembrance. I treasure our moments together and cling to the belief that our souls will reunite.
May these words find you in heaven until I can reach you.

-Rhia Clay

She stood on the precipice of decision, knowing that where her heart went, her whole being would follow.
She knew she was striking out into the unknown again, taking another risk, taking another chance.
The risk was worth it to keep herself whole.
The risk was worth it to maintain her sense of self.
Trauma had stripped away too much for her to live a life that demanded she sacrifice her mind and body to sustain it.
There had been too many dark days to live without light.
So she reached out, held on to hope, and clung to the light that was returning, eagerly awaiting the chance to shine anew.
Her soul stood strong in its decisions, ready to begin again, willing her on, through and through.

-Rhia Clay

"My God, I think, how are you healing me with only a smile?"
My heart breaks in the most beautiful way because you speak a thousand kind words, with only your smile....

-Rhia Clay

I'm trying so hard to be gentle with myself.
I offer endless compassion and grace to everyone else.
Why is it so hard to show myself the same?
I wish to know the answer to the question,
to call it by name.
I know that the trauma I've endured plays a large role.
Too many years of feeling that my voice my silenced.
What was the price of my compliance?
Too much exploitation in corporate America.
Too much has been taken without being repaid, all in effort to make another dollar,
to survive another day.
Too many words were lost in the pursuit of it all, and now I struggle to save those words on paper, a portrait of words.
Still, little by little, I am climbing out of myself, reaching a metamorphosis with a pen.
Slowly but surely,
I am starting to believe again.

-Rhia Clay

Come, sit by my side,
tell me of the dreams this world has yet to break.
Honestly, tell me your fears,
and I will try to offer you my hope.

-Rhia Clay

So, the morning called to her.
Rise, it said.
Don't you feel the air whispering?
It is filled with freedom.
Use it wisely; savor every drop.
Stretch it across your life until it covers everything.

-Rhia Clay

I don’t trust my fears; they have misled me too many times and caused more harm than good.
I trust God because following Him has always brought me improvement, hope, and a more open heart.
Although the path of faith hasn’t always been easy, it has been the most rewarding.
My focus is fixed firmly on Him, and I will sleep well tonight, knowing He is already in those challenging places where I have yet to tread.
Satan murmurs deceit, attempting to rob me of my tranquility, insisting that fear will provide me with safety.
He is a liar, for God has made a way for me in every battle, at all times.
-Rhia Clay

Among all my life’s accomplishments, my most significant triumph is simply being here, continuing to fight, and holding onto hope.
I exist in both fear and joy, and within this duality lies an immeasurable strength.
I look up at the stars that carry my memories, and I firmly believe, endlessly, that I can still discover my path back home.
I gaze into the water, watching the silent and gentle ripples dance around me, and I realize that my spirit is still in the process of healing, still enveloping me, my faith, intricately weaving patterns in my thoughts, flowing and revitalizing my very essence.
This is the exact place where God guided me to listen to his voice, to find peace in his presence, and to be reassured that he is alive and breathing for me, infusing life into me, allowing my being to mend.

-Rhia Clay

Once you taste freedom, once its beauty has settled in your heart,
you will battle with the intensity of a whole legion to protect it.
Among all treasures, liberty reigns supreme.
The freedom to love as one desires.
The freedom to love whomever one chooses.
The freedom to express oneself.
How can one genuinely love another without the liberty to do so?
For a soul brimming with determination and independence,
take away from me my freedom,
and you may as well deny me breath.

-Rhia Clay

I have news for you,
even when you think you're failing,
you're actually winning.
Because if you're failing,
that means that you're still in the game.
If you're still fighting,
they haven't won.
Whoever "they" are to you,
don't let them win.
Stay in the game.

-Rhia Clay

Great are those who lend their light to those who have lost their own. They are miracles in human form.

-Rhia Clay

Take me somewhere slow and easy.
Take me somewhere where the pain can’t be felt through the waves as they crash against the shore.
Take me somewhere where the skies are so blue that their brilliant hues can bind the hurt.
Take me somewhere where the pressure of life doesn’t consume me, as the music lulls and keeps anxiety at bay.
Take me somewhere where I’m not expected to bind my joy to pay the people’s currency.
Take me to a place where life is gentler, where the wind caresses my face and the sun warms my days.
Please take me away from here.
I’ll find my peace on the horizon, out on the open highway.
It’ll find me as the moon lays its song on me, soft lullabies for a weary heart.
And I’ll be okay, I promise, once I leave this place.
I’ll leave the pain and all the damage here.
I’ll lay it down for good, all that this town has put me through.
All the tears and tired souls with plastic hearts and stone faces.
Take me somewhere where the air is crisp and clean, and I’ll breathe easier as I lean into the breeze.
Take me somewhere slow and easy.
Anywhere but here…

-Rhia Clay

Getting lost, and living solely for achievements, is no way to live.
What is next on the list of things to achieve?
Will it ever be enough?

-Rhia Clay

Calm yourself, dear soul;  
the difficult times do not last forever.  
Everything comes to an end,  
and sometimes an ending is simply the universe's way of giving you time to recognize that your path is shifting.  
The direction you take will ultimately lead you home.  
Embrace the shift and listen closely to its whispers.  
Just as you can hear the echo of wisdom within a seashell you’ve picked up from the shore,  
you too can hear this guidance if you quiet your mind and soul enough to listen.

-Rhia Clay

In my days and nights, I seek you, Lord, with all my might.
I trust in you, and even when my trust wavers, yours never does.
I reach for you, and I never stop searching for you.
I search every cell within me for you and seek to spread your kindness.
Long ago, when my mortal mind gave in and sank beneath the waves, you carried me above them, breathing life back into tired lungs.
If you search my depths, you will find that all things beautiful and good stem from you.
When I am unable to let go, I remember the trust I have in you.
I trust you when I don’t understand how I will survive, how you will make a way for me.
I am forever your child, looking for shelter under your wings.
I am your daughter, looking to honor her king.

-Rhia Clay

You craved suffering.
You attempted to stab my flesh while persuading me that you were a thorny rose.
Roses can indeed draw blood, yet they also possess beauty.
Your spirit thrives in shadows, and beauty has faded from your sight.
The tall grass murmurs your falsehoods, and the breeze spreads your treacherous ways.
I have left the stage, no longer willing to engage in your games.
My spirit is devoted to the light, while you, my dear, are destined for the night.

-Rhia Clay