A Homecoming to a Sisterhood of Stories and Encouragements

My journey with World Pulse began in November of 2011, during a time of deep personal grief. I was living in East Timor, mourning the loss of my mother, and in this global community of women's voices, I found a place of solace and connection.

Over the years, my life has been a whirlwind of movement, taking me in and out of my home country. Through it all, I held onto my connection with World Pulse. I've seen many members join long after I did, and I feel a quiet pride in the contributions I was able to make in those early days. I shared my stories when I could, weaving my own experiences into the vibrant, global tapestry of voices on the site.

Life, as it often does, became complicated. It’s easy to say that work got in the way of my writing, but the truth is a little deeper. I fell silent because I began to doubt if the stories I needed to tell—the ones that mattered so much to me—would truly matter to anyone else. So, I neglected my passion for storytelling and my commitment to encouraging others. It was a period of quiet, a time of catching my breath.

Now, I am back in the Philippines for the foreseeable future, and I feel like I am truly coming home, not just to my country, but to this community. I am joyfully catching up, updating my profile, and have already begun sharing new stories. It feels like rekindling a flame, and I am committed to nurturing it, little by little, and writing as often as I can.

What astonishes and delights me most upon my return is seeing how this community has flourished. So many of the women who were my contemporaries, the ones who were active when I first joined, are still here, still sharing their powerful voices. Even more heartwarming is the growth of our local sisterhood. When I started, there were only five of us from the Philippines; today, there are so many more. The website itself has transformed into a more welcoming, user-friendly space, and the stories shared feel more alive, touching, and full of encouragement than ever before.

In all my years, my online connections have only translated into two in-person meetings—one with a wonderful sister from Nepal and another with a sister from Uganda. Those meetings were lovely, a brief but beautiful reminder of our shared bond, though I regret that I wasn't able to participate in the World Pulse projects they were leading.

Anita from WP Uganda

As I settle back in, my deepest wish is to build more of these tangible connections. I want to meet my sisters here in the Philippines finally. I know they have a group that gathers, and it would be a dream to join them, to share stories and laughter face-to-face. And, should my work ever lead me to travel again, I hope to meet more of my international sisters along the way.

~ dee end ~