Rachel Suzanne Tien Wood: In The Dark, Be The Light

Some people arrive in your life with no grand reason.

You didn't earn them.
You didn't chase them.
You certainly didn't deserve them more than anyone else.

They simply chose to show you kindness.

In a world that often celebrates the loudest voices, they become lighthouses. They answer the phone. They offer their spare room. They remind you to eat. They believe in you on the days you've lost all hope.

Looking back, I don't remember the darkest seasons by how alone I felt.

I only remember the people who carried a lantern when my own had gone out.

If there's any light in me today, it belongs to those who shared theirs when I couldn't find my own.

When you cannot see the light, become it for others.

Photographed in Vietnam, 2024