11/04/2024
Three years ago this month, I found a strength within me I never knew existed. Life got really messy, I was broken and defeated.
There were moments I truly couldn’t see the other side of what seemed like the darkest, dirtiest time of my life.
But then something quite incredible happened.
I found myself in the midst of not even knowing I was lost. I was challenged in ways I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy and very slowly, I showed myself that resilience resides in my core. Gradually, the pieces that I thought were lost forever were put back together and I learned how to navigate and rebuild my life.
I look back and can’t even recognize that girl anymore. I’m no longer that person and it seems as if that person died with everything that fell apart the more I grew and worked on myself.
November is National Gratitude Month and while I never ever thought I’d say this, I’m am so grateful for the things I thought I couldn’t survive once upon a time. I’m thankful for the hard because without it I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am.
I have so much gratitude for my parents who have gone above and beyond to help me make it through it all. I’m grateful for their support. I’m blessed to have parents who worked hard to make me tough and resilient, despite the fact that I couldn’t always see that.
I have immense gratitude for my soulmate and best friend who climbed into the trenches with me, fought beside me and helped to remind me of my capabilities. She deserves so much from this life for just being who she is and never wavering in her unconditional love for both me and our children.
I will never be able to express my gratitude for my children in the capacity I wish I could. Their unfailing belief in me and incredible resilience kept me going and without them and their ability to bring joy in the darkest of our days, I don’t know how we would’ve reached the other side. Their patience with me and continuous love has helped us to develop something I only dreamed of having with them.
But we have come out of the darkness. We have rebuilt all that was shattered into something stronger, more precious and beautiful than it ever could’ve been without the hard.
Above all else, this month I am showing myself the love I so freely give and am thankful for me- for my undeniable light that I’ve learned to share again with the world, for my newfound compassion and true love for myself, for my strength and dedication to consistent growth. I’m grateful for all the parts of me that make me who I am- good, bad, beautiful and ugly. I have gratitude for who I am to my core- my morals and values, my clear and honest voice, my desire to be better than I was yesterday and to always treat the world with kindness and compassion. I’m grateful for learning to show myself that same kindness and compassion, even in the trenches.
So often we forget to give ourselves the love and support we ask of others. But if I’ve learned anything over the last three years, it’s that showing yourself your own compassion and kindness if far more important than receiving it from anyone else.
I, my friends, have incredible gratitude for who I am and all that I encompass.
Make sure through this holiday season, through the dark seasons of your life, through the brokenness of what may come you always remember to show yourself love, grace and gratitude! It’s one of the golden keys to reaching the rainbow after the rain! 🩵