by Stephanie Toews, Executive Editor

“HOPE IS BEING ABLE TO SEE THAT THERE IS LIGHT DESPITE ALL OF THE DARKNESS.”

— DESMOND TUTU

Quieting my mind has been particularly challenging this week. My phone has been capturing far more of my attention than I care to admit, and my heart feels the weight of the news like a ton of bricks. It’s hard to look away from the headlines, the doomscrolling, the endless comment sections. Emotions are high, nerves are spent, and walls are up.

Bad news piled on top of more bad news makes it easy to slip into isolation, sadness, and a sense of hopelessness. We were never meant to witness so much suffering in an instant, before our minds can even process what our eyes have seen. And yet, we’re expected to carry on as if we haven’t just watched another tragedy unfold in real time.

Life is hard.

But hope still rises.

Hope can be found in the setting aside of our phones—and our differences. In seeing each other as the neighbors we truly are, not as labels or political sides. At our core, we all want the same things: to be loved, to feel safe, to be seen, and to be heard.

We are not at odds, despite what the headlines would have us believe. In real conversations, with friends, coworkers, neighbors, and family, we find that most of us simply want to live well and love better. When we take the time to listen, we begin to see each other not as categories or ideologies, but as people. People with stories, shaped by experiences, values, and the roads we’ve walked.

Simply Local Magazine exists as a bright spot in a heavy world. A place to slow down, to breathe deeply, and to fill your heart with beauty, goodness, and connection in our little corner of the world. We can love one another without agreeing on everything. We can encourage one another without being the same. We can let our lights shine brightly in a world that so desperately needs it.

While none of us is promised tomorrow, what will we do with this one precious life we’ve been given? What will we be known for? What kind of legacy will we leave behind? I imagine it has less to do with being right and more to do with loving well. So put down your phone, take a deep breath, make room at your table, and look for the hope that still exists; often quietly, beautifully, right in front of you. Let’s be the reason someone feels seen, supported, and reminded that goodness still dwells here.

Love One Another,

Originally printed in the October 2025 issue of Simply Local Magazine

Read this article in the digital issue of Simply Local here!

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