Sometimes it’s a small shelter, a familiar view, and knowing you’re safe enough to watch the world instead of run from it—learning that not every battle has to be fought.
-Mandy Ricks
Inspired by Willow, (my cat), Chief of Security, Keeper of the Coffee Table Fortress, and Watcher of All Things.
Time arrives uninvited, bringing fear and too many questions. It feels as if the love in your heart is cracking, splintering.
But before you crumble, look up one more time.
There are still things reaching for you: hope, strength, small impossible moments that refuse to die quietly.
Grab onto them. Clutch them like a lifeline.
Because fear is loud, but it is not always right.
And sometimes love carries us through one more night than we thought we could survive.
-Mandy Ricks
This poem is for my daughter Samantha and her precious cat Pebbles. She has had Pebbles for sixteen years, since she was a child, and sadly today he is very sick.
We’re all hoping for the best and clutching onto all the love and hope we can.
So, it’s the new year. The time of new beginnings, fresh starts, and renewed efforts. The time when promises make sense, opportunities appear possible, and love is bigger than everything else. But one thing remains the same:Remember to stay true to you. -Mandy Ricks with Willow
It’s the season of giving. That time of year when we put our love in a box and dress it up with pretty paper and bows. But most of all don’t forget to to 30-second hug those who matter most. -Mandy Ricks
It’s a popular belief that 30 second hugs are the optimal amount of time to receive positive psychological benefits.
Mandy Ricks 