Just Show Up

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how different my life could have been.
How close I was to not being here.
How none of this — the people I’ve loved, the places I’ve gone, the battles I’ve fought — would have ever happened if someone hadn’t stepped in at just the right time.

They didn’t preach at me.
They didn’t try to fix me.
They didn’t have all the answers.

They gave me something better.

They gave me their time.
Time when I didn’t even think I was worth it.

They gave me their presence.
A light that was stronger than the darkness I was drowning in.

They gave me their honesty.
Not sugarcoating the pain, but reminding me it wouldn’t always feel this way.

They gave me their consistency.
Showing up even when it wasn’t convenient.

They gave me their compassion.
A kind of stubborn love that didn’t flinch at my brokenness.

And because they showed up — I got to live.
I got to build a life.
I got to hold my granddaughter’s tiny hand.
I got to raise three incredible kids.
I got to travel the world helping people who felt just as lost as I once did.

All because someone stepped in.
Not perfectly. Not with a script.
But with presence.
With love.
With guts.

You have that same power.
Don’t underestimate it.
You don’t have to fix someone’s whole life.
Sometimes the rescue is just sitting quietly beside them when the night feels endless.
Sometimes the rescue is one text message, one lunch, one honest conversation that says, "You matter. You’re not alone."

Don’t wait until you have the right words.
Just bring your time.
Bring your presence.
Bring your honesty.
Bring your consistency.
Bring your compassion.

It’s enough.
It was enough for me.
It will be enough for someone else too.

If you don’t quit, you win.
And sometimes, the way you help someone win…
is simply by not quitting on them.