WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE TRUE

BY TRACY SCHLAPP

Last week we published Le’Var Howard’s We Are Here. Be Present. His ideas seem simple. Sometimes simple ideas are the hardest to live day after day. How do we put aside our past self and future self to be present? How do we see the people in front of us and give them the respect they deserve? In this piece, Le’Var writes his “golden rules” — the beliefs he uses to navigate his life.

I’ve been thinking about belief as a cloak that we throw over our shoulders. It is protection from stormy weather as we negotiate difficult situations and people, losses, and trials. Over time (or during a deluge) even the finest cloak is permeable, leaving us questioning the very beliefs that have held us to this point.

Last week, one of our participants shared a free write about the loss of her child. She feels rage when people suggest that she must acknowledge this loss. She asks: How can I do this? In no world do I believe that she is gone. This dissonance between the fact of the death and the understanding of the death is profound. The gap is so unreal to this young person, she simply has no organizing principle to help her negotiate the loss. In another conversation last week, one of our writers talked about the loss of a great love. With tears streaming down his face, he questioned: If I stop feeling the pain of this loss, what will I have left of the love? Both participants believe holding the pain is better than accepting and releasing the loss.

It’s all tricky stuff. Perhaps belief needs to be woven into the very fabrics of our souls to hold us through all kinds of weather. What and how we do this … well, I don’t have an answer, but I like the question. Let’s read what some of our writers believe.

Alone by Melissa Black
My negative thoughts as I inhale, they begin to
expel. I replace them with …
- Unchaperoned in silence, I still can hear my soul calling.

My Endeavor by David Sankey
It is my “Warrior Way” to be fearless — to implant instructions into myself, whenever it is useful, and to be so humble as to recognize teachers in all capacities.

Restoring, Full Circle by Fernando Pelayo Brambila
Be first and sustain or increase your kindness
Know that you are not working for others
Nonetheless, your shade will be cast on those near you
You will be a reason to rejoice and to give back

No Man by Manny Cid
No man should be ashamed of shedding tears.
Tears bear witness to a man’s greatest courage —
the courage to suffer and overcome his fears.

Man with No Conscience by Anthony Crow Linebaugh
Man with no conscience
Here’s something to know
You’d better slow down
Before you lose control

Tested. Untested. The stories we tell about ourselves are another framework for our belief systems. In this case, we create a narrative about what we believe to be true about ourselves. The narratives have the power to impact how we move through the world. The past two months, our writers have been diligently working on a project for next year, Letters to a Younger Self. We asked our groups to come up with a project to benefit youth in the community. They decided to write these letters so that we might share their reflections with area kids. Our only instruction: Be tender with your younger self. Tucked into these letters, we’ve read some heartbreaking stories juxtaposed to deeply held belief systems. We look forward to sharing these with you in 2026. | TDS