This Gentle Journey

05/29/2026

haunted by
the little things

05/25/2026

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

Some things are just for you.

05/02/2026

Private rituals are not strange. They're how you survive.

01/11/2026

I Carry You with Me, Always

I carry you with me always,
not as a memory sealed in the past,
but as a presence woven into my days,
a companion on this journey.

You are there in the pause before decisions,
in the echo of your steady logic,
your gentle insistence
that I not be so hard on myself.

You appear in grocery aisles
when I reach for the brand you preferred,
and in the quiet satisfaction
of choosing it anyway.

I carry you in my habits,
in the choices I make without thinking,
the songs I skip because they hurt too much,
and the ones I play
because they still feel like home.

I catch myself setting aside stories to tell you later,
forgetting, for a moment,
that “later” has changed.

I carry you in laughter that arrives unexpectedly,
in jokes you would have loved,
in moments where your reaction is so clear

I can almost see your smile.
Sometimes that laughter comforts me.
Sometimes it cracks the ache wide open again.
Both belong to you.

I carry you in grief, too,
in the way certain dates feel heavier,
in how silence can suddenly feel crowded.

Yet I also carry you in resilience,
in the quiet courage
of getting through ordinary days.

You are present in every step forward,
not urging me on,
but walking with me.

I carry you forever,
because love does not disappear.
It changes shape,
but remains a part of me,
always.

~ 'I Carry You with Me, Always' by Spirit of a Hippie

✍️ Mary Anne Byrne

~ Art by Olamik

01/01/2026

I wish you a gentle new year without your loved one… keep them close with small rituals of remembrance and love 🩵

12/24/2025

Sending love and gentle healing energy to you all during Christmas. It can be so hard, being without that person you loved. I ask that you light a candle and do a small remembrance ritual to keep them close with you 🩵 I am with you always, even across the miles.