PEACE: I Am

BY KIMBERLY BAILEY-TUREAUD

There is a wonderful feeling that comes with having emotional peace in the midst of unsteady judgment. It is almost as if you are the only one standing still in a school of swarming fish, circling without a clear destination—led by the masses through deep, shifting currents, pulling along those who cannot swim alone. 

For those who cannot swim, emotional peace becomes the reward when life delivers unbearable and painful experiences — yet still, you rise. Even the deflation of hope, like air escaping miles away from solid ground, cannot deter your dreams. 

The struggle to be or not to be is a question that all will face and must ultimately answer. The authentic soul is one that is both marveled and envied. It is the smile that gives before it receives. It is the heart that dares to feel love before hate even has a chance. That kind of power — the power to love first — is what will save the world. 

Wisdom is developed. Trust is cradled in faith. Humanity’s mandate is to embrace the collective, yet the wall of acceptance so often blocks its delivery. The shot that “blows a mind” can cripple connection, whether the impact is good or bad. Fearlessness, more often than not, is overtaken by fear. 

Your shoes can never be mine. Where you have walked, I may never go. The path that calls me, you might never discover. So your uneasiness when I walk into a room should not make you unsteady—because you do not know the words in my story. 

And my story is not yours to write. It is authored by Him alone. It is one I must live fully, carry to the end, and see through with purpose. 

In between time and space, I float — hoping to feel the earth’s sand weave between my toes. I long to plant seeds of love that multiply, bloom, and rise through every limb of my body. 

Yes, I am love. A reflection of the love that was first given. I am only trying to mirror the love that fills the holes still screaming for fulfillment. 

I AM. 

I AM. 

Because He was.