Finding Light After Darkness

We are all born with a basic goodness, but somewhere between childhood and adulthood, many of us lose sight of it. We become "restless wanderers," as some have called it, drifting through jobs and relationships, hoping each change will fill the emptiness. The greatest tragedy, however, is not death, but a life without purpose. In this book, Mrs. Arriola’s 1B class has assembled a collection of stories about people who did not wait for permission to make a difference. They did not wait for a perfect moment. Instead, they took their deepest hurts, their wildest passions, and their quietest longings and turned them into a "purpose-driven life." This is not a book of theory. It is a roadmap for an intentional life. As you read these pages, you will find yourself in these stories—the doubt, the fear, and ultimately, the joy of aligning your daily actions with your deepest values. Lean Forward into Your Life—as one of my classmates put it, as— this is exactly what our 1B class invites you to do here. As you turn this page, I invite you to take a breath, set aside your skepticism, and prepare to find your "why."