THESE...

30 was hard. Brutally painful. Maybe wretched. It was the kind of year that virtually destroyed me, one I will be relatively glad to leave behind. It was a year where I claimed hope and tried desperately to live fully in the vibrancy of all that could come but was greeted instead by physical pain, emotional wreckage, and an emptiness I had never known before. BUT in the midst of the horrible awful, the heartbreaking, the tears, there was also gloriously beautiful and amazingly bright. There was falling on my knees and seeing Jesus in a new way. there was learning over and over and over that He is a Good Father and I am loved by Him. There was undeniable growth that will be valued for years to come. AND there were some graciously kind and tremendously generous people who chose to carry me in the midst of the sorrow, through the buried dreams, who walked with me even in the darkest nights and cheered me on without hesitation. THESE are my people. I couldn’t do life without them and I cherish them to the very depths and core of my being. THESE are the women who see my beauty even when I can’t see it myself. They are gifts beyond measure and as I march toward 31 I just wanted to take a moment to reflect, to breathe deeply, to celebrate the beauty of weathering the storm together, and to stop and count it all joy.