When 100 retirement home residents saved my passion

My beloved friends,

Have you ever looked back at what seemed like your lowest season and suddenly seen the miracle that was growing there all along?

I had one of those sacred revelations this week, and I simply had to share it with you.

You see, I started Love's Pure Light during what felt like my most broken season.

I was out of a job. Actually, I couldn't even get a job.

I was dropping off resumes everywhere, putting on my bravest smile at interviews, and facing rejection after rejection. That feeling of opening your email to find another "we've decided to go with another candidate" message... it hollows out something in your spirit after a while.

Finally, I landed a position as a server at a local restaurant.

It lasted exactly one month.

They let me go because I was "too friendly" with the guests. (Translation: I couldn't help sharing about God's love with people who seemed to need it.)

Then came the retirement home. I got hired to distribute medications and help with basic care. It should have been straightforward.

But there I was... lingering in residents' rooms, holding their hands, praying with them when they were afraid or in pain.

The administration was, let's say, "concerned" about my approach. Perhaps a bit intimidated by my faith.

I nearly lost that job too.

If it hadn't been for dear Mrs. Johnson organizing a petition—gathering over 100 signatures from residents who wanted me to stay—I would have been looking for work yet again.

In those days, I felt like a failure. Like I couldn't even fit into the most basic employment situations.

What was wrong with me?

But deep in my heart, I always sensed there was something unusual about my calling. Something that wouldn't fit neatly into traditional boxes.

That's why after those exhausting graveyard shifts at the retirement home, instead of collapsing into bed, I found myself drawn to my kitchen table.

There, surrounded by silence and possibility, I would pick up a paintbrush and reach for the silk garments I'd been collecting from second-hand shops.

One night during that lonely season, I had a powerful dream.

God showed me I was to paint who He showed me I was—to express it through colors and words on silk.

"I am my beloved's"

Those were the very first words I splashed across fabric in the early dawn hours. My hands trembling, tears mixing with the dye.

I couldn't have imagined then that these humble beginnings—these garments created from a place of brokenness—would one day become a business.

All I knew was that in that season of loneliness, hopelessness, and repeated failures, He was showing me that He still saw me. That He was forging my purpose within me, even when I couldn't see it myself.

Each morning, I would slip these painted silks on underneath my scrubs before heading to the retirement home. No one could see them, but I knew they were there—my secret armor speaking life to my heart as I distributed medications and poured milk for the residents.

"I am my beloved's. He has made me courageous and strong."

It's now ten years later...

And this week, I found myself ministering to a precious woman I now call friend. For privacy, I'll call her Jenny.

She's in her 30s like me, currently in the hospital undergoing bone marrow transplants. I've known her just over a year, but our souls connected as if we'd known each other our whole lives.

This seed God planted in me a decade ago? I've been able to water it through Jenny. And in truth, she has watered my life just as much.

I've had the privilege of praying with her, supporting her, and sharing Love's Pure Light pieces with her throughout her treatments.

Yesterday morning, she sent me a message that brought me to my knees:

"Your garments are blankets of glory that cover my day and remind me that God is with me. He sees me and I now can't go to the treatments without a LPL on. I look down on my scarf, I keep the card in my hand and I hold it close as I can always grab it fast to read out to myself or those around me. You have been a significant part of my journey and you remind me there is hope, and I have a future."

Friends, it hit home hard when I realized this full-circle moment.

What began as my own journey toward inner healing and wholeness is now overflowing into the lives of others.

Those nights at my kitchen table? Those failed job attempts? Those moments of feeling like I couldn't fit in?

They weren't failures at all.

They were the soil where God was planting something beautiful.

We must never try to figure everything out too deeply or even ask God all the WHYs. Sometimes, it's better not to know so much—especially during those hard seasons when you want to give up, when everything seems to be going wrong.

Then one day... it suddenly makes sense. The journey God has given you comes into focus.

One thing I know for certain: it's not about the destination as much as the journey itself—how God is cultivating fruit in our lives that will last forever, shaping our character to be strong and forged with beauty from within.

So today, I leave you with this gentle reminder:

Never despise the day of small beginnings.

Never second-guess yourself when you feel led to do something that might seem wild or unusual to others.

Your life is a beautiful tapestry of art and story, and the moment we take our eyes off ourselves and begin to pour into others, our purpose becomes clearer.

Sometimes that still, small voice will lead you out of your way—all the way to aisle 12 in the grocery store to grab something you didn't think you needed. But then you realize there was a miracle waiting to happen as you help someone reach a box of soap from the high shelf.

You are Love's Pure Light to this world.

You are a carrier of freedom, hope, and so many miracles waiting to happen—not just in your life, but in the lives of others.

I'd love to hear about the small beginnings in your life that later revealed themselves as miracles. Reply in the comments section below and share your story with me.

With a heart full of wonder,
Cydney

P.S. This week, I'll be sharing some exciting news about a new collection inspired by these very reflections on small beginnings and the miracles they become. Until then, remember that what feels like failure might just be fertile ground for something beautiful.

A few pictures below of the golden hearts that loved me, poured into me and saw something I couldnt. The ladies and men at the retirement home were my biggest fans. Here are a few pictures of these glorious saints. Note the ladies below were all wearing my original silk scarves I painted them! I equipped the homes with floral each week and taught the residents how to decorate with flowers each week! 

Mrs Johnson far left picture below