It’s OK

BY KIMBERLY BAILEY-TUREAUD

We’ve just welcomed 2026, and I couldn’t be more elated to have celebrated New Year’s Eve surrounded by my family — especially my mother, Anna Bailey, who was born in 1926. Yes, a hundred years of life, love, and resilience. As I reflect on her remarkable journey, I wonder how many times she faced challenges, persevered, and emerged stronger. 

Some navigate life with protest, conflict, or even malice. I can’t help but wonder how long that approach sustains them, or if they, too, will have the chance to celebrate a century of life. Focusing on drama or bitterness may make time feel louder, but it does not bring peace. 

For my mother, the landing space of a long life has always been wrapped in grace. She embodies optimism and trust that, no matter what comes, everything will be “OK.” Through faith, even in the quiet moments when mortality whispers, she finds light — and that light allows her to live each moment with peace. 

As a child, I watched my mother work side by side with my father, the late Bob Bailey, to build not only a better life for our family but also a better world for those around them. Laughter, smiles, and love were the foundation boards upon which we all grew. 

Each day brimmed with the excitement of possibility, and every gentle moment carried hope. In our quiet, shared conversations, I glimpsed the journeys she had walked and the lessons she had learned along the way. 

Time, I’ve realized, is her companion. It embraces her like a warm bath — never rushed, never harsh, moving in harmony to offer comfort. She has always upheld the goodness of humanity, allowing others to be seen for who they are, both their strengths and flaws. 

The steps she takes forward are measured and confident because she has already navigated the path. And the gift she gives me every day, through example and love, is simple yet profound: “It’s OK.” 

In a world that often rushes and rages, her life is a testament to the power of grace, patience, and faith. Her century-long journey reminds me — and all of us — that peace is not the absence of struggle, but the ability to walk through it with love, courage, and the quiet certainty that, in the end, everything will be okay.