I can still hear my mum using the phrase “steel hand in a velvet glove.”

I always took if to mean resolve delivered with compassion.

The opposite of the tough/ marshmallow.

Internal steel is not brittle or cold or unforgiving.

It is a quiet support that upholds us.

It is a deep well that nourishes us.

It is not a weapon; it is a staff to help us walk through the rough hills and valleys that life presents us.

That idea of walking through something and getting to the other side is present in so many of my poems and songs.

It is reminiscent of the way my father faced his struggles and disappointments, with the one step at a time approach.

The way he taught me life wasn’t ever meant to be fair and could be wonderful.

We don’t have to live a big or exciting life to have purpose and meaning.

We can look inside, find our steel, and keep moving forward.

Love,

M