A light shines through a world of darkness
It creeps over the hills that guard a valley
And peeks through the trees that hide it
Heralding a new day

The sun breathes life into that valley
Awakening old and new
They trudge through dew-soaked grass
to gather and welcome the new day

The smiles never leave their faces
For they feel the love of one another
The love they bring with the new day
And the love the new day brings to them

It never vanishes from the valley
Not until long after the sun leaves the sky
Not until the heat of fire has faded
Not until those lives bid the day farewell

As the final echoes of life die down
They disperse back to their shelters
And allow darkness to set in
As they all begin a dream of a new day

Snowflakes dance
Like glittering stardust
Falling from up above
In a season of peace and trust

Glowing crystals
too small for our eye
Bring the heavens to the ground
Like walking on the night sky

Light a fire
Gather around to stay warm
Pass around mugs of cocoa
Let unity be the norm

Give gifts
Whether from a menorah or a tree
We can all celebrate together
It doesn't matter what you believe

The snow falls on all of us
We all feel the cold
It doesn't care about race or religion
It won't discriminate between young or old

Enjoy the end of the year
Look back on highs and lows
Let your best shine through
Caught and reflected by glittering snow

Sometimes it might feel
like no one will listen to you
that your troubles aren't enough
for people to stop and care

There's no standard metric of pain
No scale on which your suffering may be judged
No committee to tell you it's not enough
No forms or tests or assessments

Pain is pain
Yours and mine are different
You needn't suffer more than me
For me to offer you my hand

If it hurts, speak up
I'll sit down and listen
Don't be afraid to share
I understand how you feel

You closed your eyes
and spread your wings
But you didn't fly away
I know why; you were afraid

You're afraid for the people you're leaving behind
You can see their tears
You can see their pain
I see it too

But I also see their love
The love of all these people coming together
They're taking care of one another
Even though they themselves are in pain

So don't be afraid
Let butterfly wings guide you to peace
And although you're leaving our lives
The love you gave us will never leave our hearts

I stand in a forest, a million paths in front of me
Each one a different choice, a different person I could be

I've taken roads I thought were bright
But those only brought another plight

Some paths were dark and full of fear,
But in the end, they brought me here

I remember each choice and decision
I remember the pain and derision

Not one choice has been easy
But not every day can be sunny and breezy

With every mistake came a lesson learned
With every embarrassment came wisdom earned

So as I look at the paths not taken
I'll remember that I'd be mistaken

To think one would've brought more cheer
Than the one that led me here

I watch you while you sleep
Infecting your dreams
You can't run away from me
I'm always waiting for you

You're a failure at everything
There's no place for you here
Behind the false smiles
Everyone wants you to leave

Fear isn't the bad guy
It's what keeps you safe
Be afraid of everything
And nothing will hurt you

Don't trust them, trust me
They'll hurt you, I know it
You're not worth saving
Nor protecting nor praising

Kindness exists in fairy tales
But this is the real world
It's cold and unforgiving
And love is only a weakness

So stick with me for protection
I guarantee you'll be fine
After all misery loves company
And we've got nothing but time

We lay back and unwind
Both saying what's really on our minds

We look back on the days long ago
The days of laughter and the days of woe

We can laugh about it now
It's hard to think how

Some days were better, others worse
Being young felt like such a curse

We stuck through it to the end
That is, until the road hit a bend

I made a mistake, that was all
But it was the beginning of the fall

If I hadn't made that choice, if I could atone
Maybe you'd be here, and I wouldn't be all alone

Come along, there's no need to fear
Everyone is welcome here
So please, stay a little longer
Help us spread some cheer

You don't have to know what you're doing
Do you really think we always do?
We've ******* up, but no one cared
So come on and take a chance or two

There's nothing but love here
Despite being packed in a little tight,
There's still plenty of space for more
Everything's gonna be alright

You might not know anyone
But remember, there was a time we didn't too
We've all come together as one
So stay and meet someone new

Come one and all
We won't shout or complain
Come and join our family
On Church and Main

It's staying together while being hundreds of miles apart
It's rolling your eyes and smiling
It's missing someone when they're far away
It's accepting someone for who they are
It's letting someone grow
and letting someone go
It's taking care of yourself for them
While they take care of themselves for you

Love is saying yes instead of no
It's hundreds of questions before the sun comes up
It's leaving someone with a memory that outlives you
It's being together to chase away the pain

Love is you
And Love is me

Knowledge is powerful
Ignorance is pervasive
Wisdom is crucial
Care must be taken

Knowledge can remove Ignorance
If it's given the chance
It must be applied with Wisdom
And spared more than a passing glance

No one can be forced to listen
That's not how being human works
We've all lived different lives
and developed our own special quirks

Knowledge can't destroy Ignorance alone
It only offers the possibility
but what people do next is up to them
it's now their responsibility

Your hand in mine brings me comfort
Even though I can't feel it

Your smile brightens my day
Even though no one else can see it

You're my piece of home
that I can take anywhere

You're not really there
But you're real enough to me

Every night I can feel it
Like some evil spirit
Watching me in the dark
Waiting for the spark
Of fear that will breathe life
into its world and intensify the strife
That I feel every hour
to remind me I have no power
in the storm of the world that I
try to live in, try to survive
But there's no port in this storm
Only voices demanding that I conform
To the accepted standard and way
That everyone else lives, to stay
quote "normal", to never speak
of the storm inside that seeks to wreak
havoc on my person, on my world
It's so much easier to remain curled
Up inside, never risking the chaos outside
Is it real?  Is it fake?  I can't decide.
So I look out, and the room is completely quiet
But in my head, it's a riot
Of thoughts and emotions whirling and stumbling
And it all keeps jumbling
How I feel inside, who I am
All I want is to understand
This world, this storm, this panic, this fear
To know why it must always draw near.
Why can't it stay away?  Why won't it leave?
All I want is for it to relieve
me of its terror and give me some peace
All I want is for the storm to cease
All I want is for it to stop

When you're yourself, that's the best
You don't have to be like the rest
To yourself, be true
And be you, be you

Being different is fine
So do it all the time
It shouldn't make you blue
Just be you, be you

Sometimes others don't understand
This wasn't what they had planned
But they can't decide for you
So be you, be you

Who you are is your choice
Speak with your own voice
You're important too
So be you, be you

Don't be afraid
To lead your own parade
Make it how ever you want to
So long as it's you, it's you

Everyone has their own part to play
Everyone has something important to say
Don't forget that you do too
And always be you, be you

It's hard to ignore fear
It will keep you safe, I know
It keeps you alive, but see
that it doesn't let you live

You've got to look past the fear
See the bright sun up above
It's a long climb to reach it
The clouds might shroud it in shadow

But a new day's on its way
I'm sure it will be better than this
Bringing with it millions of possibilities
for life and joy and hope

The chance for happiness may be bleak
It may seem like it's torn from your grasp
That someone you loved is gone
Not long after you met

But there's always a spark of hope
A light shining in the black
It might not be what you wanted
It's still good, nonetheless

So survive to live your life
Keep looking forward to the dawn
When the sun will rise and end the night
And hope will shine again

Your humor used to bring people together
You spoke of family, of kids growing up in tough times
We laughed with you about it
Never knowing with whom we were laughing

We sang about chocolate cake
Of going back to bed, like we'd wanted to
The jokes were shared by so many people
Now they only fall flat

We can't laugh anymore
You took that from us
But those memories are ours to keep
So all that's left to say is...

Thank you for sharing
I'm glad for those years of laughter
Of the talk of good kids going bad
Even if you turned out to be one of them

Little angel
falling through the sky
broken heart bringing you down
while you struggle to fly

You wanted to soar
you sought out a good feeling
but you found heartbreak
and it sent you reeling

No matter how dark it looks
this is only the night
the sun will rise again
bringing back the light

Don't give up hope
Someone will be there to catch you
Spread your wings again
And set off for love anew

Swirling darkness all around
It's all I hear, the only sound

Is this what life is?
A black, unending abyss?

I was told I was special, did they lie?
If not, why am I so lost?  Why?

I fall deeper into the pit
That's all there is, this is it

This is life now, endless black.
I don't know if I can ever go back

To the old days that shone like the sun
I remember the smiles, I remember the fun

But I can't have that now, it's all gone
There's nothing, those days are done

I'm alone, I always will be
I'm unwanted, I must be

Alone... Unwanted... Unloved

You rest on my pillow beside me
Smiling when I smile at you
You rest your head on my shoulder
when no one else is around

When I'm lost and scared and alone
You take my hand and tell me it's alright
Then I remember that I'm not alone
Because you're never far behind

You light my way with hope
Pull love out of the air
That you drift seamlessly through
Smiling and laughing so I'll join in

Hope and love are your home
But you leave it for me when I'm hurt
I close my eyes and I see you
You close yours and press your forehead to mine

You never take anything from me
No matter what I offer you
Instead you help me dry my tears
And pull me back up to my feet

The most beautiful part of you
above all else, there's no contest
is that you're always there when I'm sad
but you sit back and smile with me when I'm glad

I'm here when you fall asleep
And again when you wake up
I'll stay here by your side
I'll keep you safe always

Open your eyes and awaken
Don't be afraid of a new day
Put your mind to it and you'll succeed
All you have to do is try

The world outside is scary
But I'll be right here to help
I'll hold your hand and watch
while you hold everyone else's

When the darkness sets in
I'm ready to go to work
I've got hundreds of memories
to remind you that you're good

Don't forget that you're worth it all
I've got enough love for the two of us
And you've got enough hope and kindness
for everyone else that needs it

Good times and bad times
I'll be here through it all
So go ahead and take that first step
I'm here to catch you if you fall

A brightly colored thread weaves through space
Its color, indescribable
It only knows that it is different
from every other thread

It loops and ducks
It twists and turns
Crossing other threads
Seemingly at random

Sometimes, threads intertwine
And new threads emerge
Sometimes, a thread's journey stops short
It can never know why

Millions of threads
Millions of lives
Twisting and changing
All ignorant of the grand design

To the threads there is no design
No grand scheme
Only the organized chaos
They all call life

ADHD kept talking
and Depression began scheming
He mumbled something to Anxiety
and Anxiety started screaming

Happiness couldn't take it
and ran far away
ADHD got desperate
and started listening to hate

He found joy in pain
it made the screaming cease
but nothing lasted forever
they couldn't find their peace

Until Kindness came along
and held Anxiety
the noise died down
and he finally quieted

Kindness smiled at Depression
no matter how Hate protested
And breathed with ADHD
until he finally rested

Sometimes Kindness tires
Sometimes there's too much to take
But Happiness will return
If they don't listen to Hate

When the darkness sets in
and you don't know where to go
Close your eyes and focus
There's more to this, you must know

It's easy to give up hope
To throw your arms up and quit
To surrender to the dark
And let it consume you bit by bit

But there's always something more
It's never easy to find
But you own your thoughts
You control your mind

Find the light
It's small and fragile
So you've got to work hard
to make it stay a while

It could be anything
A time when you laughed or smiled
Or that moment you played with friends
and you all ran wild

It might not stay for long
You may have to find it again
But it's there, you can find it
It's only a question of when

I thought I felt your hand in mine,
but it was only sand, falling through my fingers

You were such a beautiful dream that I woke up in tears
I cried harder when I realized it was over, that it wasn't real

Even though I see your face everywhere,
and can't get your voice out of my head

You were never real
I was only dreaming

I hear you creeping through the night
spindly fingers reaching closer
whispering in my ear
reminding me why I should be afraid

If I look round, you're not there
But I can feel you in the prickles on my neck
You're in the goosebumps on my arms
You step to the beating of my heart

The light chases you away,
but I can't always find the switch
Even when I open my eyes
you're still waiting for me

You live in the corner of the room
the one with cobwebs where the light doesn't go
In the shadow that nothing casts
And the scraping in a forgotten room

I can't run away from you
You're everywhere I go
Always right behind me
Breathing down my neck

You don't yell, you don't speak
Your voice is only a whisper
That's all it needs to be
To make me afraid of you