"The Phoenix" - A story of hope

...the destruction was swift, unexpected, and utterly complete. You watched in stunned disbelief as the world you had built up around yourself was totally consumed before your eyes. Everything you thought you knew, all you have worked toward, your personal sacrifices made, and your dreams you looked forward to, all of it – gone.

You find yourself alone now, surrounded by ash and rubble struggling to see what is no longer there. The anguish building as the realization comes over you: it's all gone. Your visions of what was, where everything is supposed to be, clouds the harsh reality before your eyes that those things are now relegated to memories - never to be.

The world for you in this moment is dark, gray, overcast. Your disbelief and sorrow take their course as you look around – allowing your eyes to properly process your new normal. The feeling of grief and loss flood through you – your heart pleading for just one more moment in the past, even if only a bittersweet illusion of what shall never be. And just before you let your despair pull you into the abyss, in a seemingly out of place ray of light, a glimmer in the carnage draws your attention.

From the ash and soot, you pull a small, bright, shiny, pure silver trinket. Something that was overlooked in all the chaos – you don't even remember where it's from exactly or it's meaning. A small ray of sun casts down thru the haze and you feel it's gentle warmth on your face invoking something new in your soul – hope.

You take one last look around you – the loss is still there, but the piercing agony has dulled now. You feel an encouragement from your find – like it feeds something into you perhaps long ago forgotten in that world now lost. A desire, a passion, a spark. And with it, you feel a new sense of purpose, and a new found courage. You take your first steps to move from beyond what was, to foster and nurture this rediscovered spark...

...and rebuild your flame from the ashes of old...

I hope that this can offer encouragement to those who need it

My best,

Eric "GuitarEC"