I was scrolling through my photos and feeling pretty grateful. It was a day of strength. A shunt adjustment this week seems to have given me some reprieve.

I got to witness the joy of my little guy filling up a backyard pool.

I got to melt into a puddle of all the warm amazing feelings watching my boys head off together with their fishing poles.

I was able to stand long enough to make trendy sweet coffee drinks with my girl.

It has been good. /Good/
But then I swiped to the next picture and it hit me like an unsuspecting slap that stung like fire.

It was there because I had been going through some old photos a few days ago and I’d saved it to send to a friend. I had been building this incredible list of small mountains I’d climbed, and reveling in the joy and fulfillment I felt, and this memory of my past swiped my feet out from under me and sent me crashing through a wall of heartache that I was not ready for.
So much emotion tied up in that one simple picture. The immense joy that being on the fire department filled my soul with. The overlooked gift of being hold a brush to paint my nails. The ability to use my thumbs for a thumbs up. In a splinter’s worth of time, I went from great heights to a mind crushing low. I felt sad to have ruined my gratefulness, but as I talked myself through it, I came to realize that it was absolutely ok to feel what I was feeling. A hard memory doesn’t take away the joy of important moments with my people. Those two emotions can live together. I was reminded of a card I read this week…
“You can be angry and at peace. Curse God and whisper His name for help. You can be shaking and sobbing and strong. You can be grieving and grateful. Jagged and graceful. You can paint your nails and curl your hair. You can also not give a crap about any of that right now. You can hide quietly in your closet crying and dance to loud music in the kitchen while squealing in laughter. It can all hurt even when it feels good. You can feel so darn lonely in your head, and you can feel the vibration of the world holding you up in love and prayer. There is no book for dummies on this awful thing. I imagine your feelings change daily, sometimes by the minute. There is no wrong or right way to be. Just keep being.” -author unknown.
I cannot think of a more perfect way to say it. Just keep being.
Please leave me a comment, it lets me know you’re listening!
Love you soul sister!! Love this message, so true.
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Love you lady!
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Prayed for you
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Thank you
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And just like that…..keep being!!! probably a lot easier said than done, but it takes away expectations and allows you to be still and know peace. Thank you for sharing some of your hardest thoughts and needs. I wish I was nearby to help. Love you, Aunt Nancy
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Thank you Aunt Nancy. I love you too.
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❤️❤️❤️❤️
Sent from my iPhone Have a great day! Cindy
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Thank you for taking the time to share your journey and your hope. Thank you for being real and vulnerable. One quote I love is “all is grace for this moment may never have been” Ann voskamp and this is exactly how I see you living your life.
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I love that quote Carrie! Thank you!
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Wellllll I googled your name to see if I could find an email address, and found your blog instead. Was gonna say hey, and check in and see how everything was with you. Apparently I can just read your blog for those answers. Hope you’re doing ok.
Kyle Bayens
Kyle.bayens at gmail dot com
Three oh three 929 sixfourseven1
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