Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think

Beneath My Silence – What Remains Within

In the midst of darkness, I discovered a light within me that refused to disappear.

Through seasons of sorrow, I found that joy had not abandoned me. It had simply grown quiet, waiting patiently beneath the pain.

When life became chaotic, I discovered a still place within myself ~
somewhere the noise could not reach, somewhere my soul could rest.

And when the coldest seasons came, when everything around me felt barren, I learned that warmth still lived within me.

That is what life has taught me.

The world can challenge me, disappoint me, hurt me, and sometimes bring me to my knees.

But it cannot take everything.

There is something within me that hardship has never been able to reach ~
a light that survives the darkness, a […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-27T14:44:13-06:00August 27th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

The Loneliness of Secrets: Finding Connection Through Vulnerability

I grew up in a household where we children were given one very clear instruction: what happened inside our home stayed inside our home.

We were never to discuss it with others, much less write about it publicly. Even as a child, I understood there was a reason for the secrecy.

Some of what happened behind those doors was inappropriate; some of it crossed far more serious lines.

My brothers seemed to accept the silence differently. To them, families had secrets. You kept them hidden.

That was simply how the world worked. For many years, I did the same.

Writing about those years now is not an act of revenge. My parents are no longer here, and exposing their […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-27T11:29:45-06:00August 27th, 2026|Emotional Healing, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Notes From George – It Is What It Is, Until It’s Not

George used to say, “It is what it is. Until it’s not.” Simple words, but they held a truth I struggled for years to understand. So much of life is right in front of us, yet we spend enormous amounts of energy wishing it were different. George rarely did that. He had an unusual ability to accept what was.

He didn’t look at our father and spend his life wishing he had been a different man. He didn’t expect our stepmother to become someone she wasn’t. That didn’t mean George approved of what happened to us or that it didn’t hurt him. He simply understood that fighting reality wouldn’t change it. He used to […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-23T13:22:05-06:00August 23rd, 2026|Notes From George Collections, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

What Difficult People Can Teach Us About Healing and Boundaries

Everyone who crosses our path has something to teach us. The people who bring kindness and consistency into our lives teach us about companionship, friendship, love, and trust.

They remind us what it feels like to be valued, supported, and cared for.

The difficult people teach us differently. Their behavior may disappoint us, frustrate us, or even hurt us, but sometimes those encounters reveal places within us that still need attention. They can uncover old wounds, emotional triggers, and vulnerabilities we may not have realized were still tender.

When someone criticizes our choices, we can learn to protect our sense of self and establish healthier boundaries. When someone’s words or actions cause us […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-23T12:15:51-06:00August 23rd, 2026|Emotional Healing, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence — When I Feel Unseen

I learned young how quickly a life can disappear. One day there was a mother, a home, animals I loved, a room that knew my name, books and toys, friends and familiar hallways.

And then there wasn’t.

No goodbye to the life before. No place to put the memories. No permission to speak of what had been mine.

I learned to carry it quietly.

Perhaps that is why silence still finds the tender places in me. Why an unanswered call can become more than an unanswered call.

Why someone’s absence can awaken an old question:

Did I matter?

I have spent years trying not to ask too much of people.

I listen to their stories ~
their work, their families, […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-23T10:56:54-06:00August 23rd, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Emotional Healing, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Whispers To The Soul – The Hero’s Journey Later in Life: Becoming Who You Want to Be

The Hero’s Journey Doesn’t End When We Grow Older

We often imagine the Hero’s Journey as the story of someone young. They leave the familiar behind, step into the unknown, encounter challenges, discover their strength, and eventually become someone they could not have imagined at the beginning.

But what happens when the call comes later in life?

What happens when we have already built the career, raised the family, cared for others, survived disappointment, experienced loss, celebrated accomplishments, and spent decades becoming the person we thought we were supposed to be?

Sometimes another call arrives. And this one sounds very different.

A career ends ~

or simply stops feeling meaningful.

Children grow up and build lives of their own.

A […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-22T12:04:06-06:00August 22nd, 2026|Personal Growth, Whispers To The Soul Collections, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

The Girl Left Behind – Who My Mother Was Before I Lost Her

My mother, Frances Marion Bell, was born on January 25, 1925, in Oakland, California. It was a cold, rainy January day. Her parents, George E. Bell and Helen Bell, welcomed their second daughter into the world with love. According to my grandfather, her birth was quick.

They named her Frances Marion.

My grandfather had been born in England, and my grandmother, Helen, in Massachusetts. Whether they chose the name because of its meaning or simply because they loved it, I’ll never know. But it suited her perfectly.

The name Frances is often associated with freedom, independence, and a strong sense of self. My mother embodied those qualities. She was a free spirit, quietly confident and deeply compassionate.

Since her […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-06T12:32:47-06:00August 6th, 2026|Collections, The Girl Left Behind Collections, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Beneath My Silence – If Love Finds Me Again

If love ever finds me again, I hope it arrives gently. I hope it’s someone who hears the words I never quite know how to say, and understands the silence between them.

Someone who delights in the little things ~

not because they are grand, but because they matter to me.

Someone who chooses me, even on ordinary days, and reminds me through small, quiet gestures that I am never an afterthought. I hope for a heart that feels like home ~

steady, kind, and unwavering.

A presence that brings peace rather than uncertainty. A hand that reaches for mine when life becomes difficult, without waiting to be asked. Someone who protects not by control, but […]

By Doré Frances|2026-08-06T11:01:56-06:00August 6th, 2026|Beneath My Silence - Poems, Collections, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments