Stay

Working in end-of-life care has changed the way I see almost everything.

It has taught me to slow down, to notice what matters, and to hold each day with a little more gratitude. But perhaps the greatest gift has been something I never expected. It has taught me that some of the most meaningful moments in our lives are also the most uncomfortable.

The conversations where we speak up.

The moments where we choose to really listen.

The apologies we finally offer.

The forgiveness we decide to give.

The forgiveness we are brave enough to ask for.

For much of my life, I believed that walking away kept the peace. I thought silence protected relationships. Looking back, I realize it often protected me from discomfort while quietly costing me the chance to be known, and the chance to truly know someone else.

Now, when I imagine the end of my own life, I don't want to wonder what might have happened if I had spoken up, listened more deeply, apologized sooner, forgiven more freely, or stayed just a little longer.

I want to know that I showed up. That I was willing to be uncomfortable for something that mattered. That I didn't walk away from the conversations that asked me to grow. Whether it's with a partner, a family member, a friend, a colleague, or a stranger whose path briefly crosses mine, every meaningful relationship deserves the opportunity to be honest.

Today, my choice is simple. To stay.

To make room for another person's truth while honoring my own.

Because the relationships that shape our lives aren't strengthened by avoiding difficult conversations, they are strengthened by our willingness to stay long enough for both hearts to be heard.

Stay

By Gabby Jimenez

I used to think

the strongest relationships

were the quiet ones.

The ones where no one cried.

No one disagreed.

No one said,"That hurt."

I mistook silence for peace.

So, I became very good

at swallowing words.

At saying, "It's okay,"

when it wasn't.

At protecting everyone else from my honesty.

Until one day

I realized...

That every time I left a conversation

to make someone else feel more comfortable...

I left myself there too.

So, I began to practice staying.

Staying when my voice trembled.

Staying when I was afraid.

Staying when I worried that I had said too much.

Staying long enough

for another heart

to hear mine.

Sometimes they understood.

Sometimes they didn't.

But every time I stayed,

I stopped abandoning myself.

And perhaps that's what trust really is...

Not never hurting each other.

Not getting everything right.

But believing a relationship

is strong enough

to hold the truth...

and gentle enough

to make room for repair.

And now, I whisper quietly to myself…

"I want to stay in this conversation, because I matter and so do you.”

xo

Gabby