4 am awakening

I woke up at 4 am and couldn’t sleep. The room was quiet and dark. I stared at the wall.

An ache was gathering in my chest and in my throat. A deep sadness. Heartfelt compassion. Grief.

I know how trauma has touched my life and the healing that I have done to feel whole. I can only begin to imagine what it is doing to those who have been violated, their whole lives taken from them.

No choice. No protection. Treated as if they don’t matter.  

Story after story unfolds in front of us. We hear about the people behind unthinkable things done to others — to children — almost as casually as toast popping from the toaster. We hardly have time to digest one story before another angle, more evidence, another headline hits our screen.

Behind these stories are people whose lives are shattered. Beneath the headlines are real traumas—disconnection, lost memories, lost time. People who feel abandoned. Unheard. People searching for answers, for acknowledgment, for a gentle place where healing can begin.

These are lives that must be knit back together with extraordinary care. And at 4 in the morning, I decided to help the way I know how. We may not know these people — or maybe we do — but we can put peace into the field of life itself, knowing that when someone asks for it, it will be there for them.

And in the edges of my awareness, I created an altar. A place where we can offer them peace. A place where their pain is not reduced to a headline or a debate. A place where their humanity is remembered and their souls can find ease.

You can see it in your mind’s eye, an ancient stone. Beautiful crystals rest on its surface. Sacred light wraps it in nurturing love. Soft light moves through the crystals, scattering small reflections in every direction, like quiet prayers rising into the air.

The stone feels steady and timeless, a place where sorrow can be laid down without judgment. A stone capable of holding what feels too heavy for human hearts to carry alone.

Here we honor each person who struggles. We honor each life that has been wounded or forgotten. Here, we wrap them in tenderness and care. We offer healing. We send love. And for a moment, we walk beside them on their healing journey.

We never know who we walk beside or what their struggles have been. But on this altar, we can honor them, support them, and hold them in compassion.

In this sacred space, we remember: every life carries a story. And every soul deserves peace.