To look back and think "if only" I had not made that mistake (or all the mistakes), is to minimize the beautiful gift of experience, the gift of not knowing. The not knowing is when we learn and grow - we may screw up. We may succeed - it doesn't matter. There is not a right or wrong, as much as a "just keep going".
Read MoreThat beat of your heart that tells you to keep going, listen to that. Tell the doubting voice you have everything you need. Tell yourself you are worthy, deserving, and capable. We spend too much time feeding and fearing our own self-doubt. Truthfully, not much can be avoided if we just keep at it.
Read MoreMost of the time, we are not victims like we think. Our excuses are not so valid. It is not up to anyone else to make the change for you. Your life is your choice. You can make a small change, take one step, in order to get closer to the life you want. As you move along, more will be revealed and you will discover new possibilities and options along the way.
Read MoreWhatever is happening for you right now, it is time. Time to do what's necessary. Time to take care of yourself. Time to say no. Time to say yes. Time to embark on a new adventure. Time to quit. Time to allow your heart open. Time to choose yourself.
Read MoreA friend asked if I missed my boys on the weekends they are with their dad. Co-parenting is both exhausting and freeing. Sharing your kids means they are yours and only yours for a period of time, and then all of a sudden, you are alone. The house is silent. Too silent. I miss them.
Read MoreNone of my life looks like what I had planned. A lot of the time I feel like I am starting completely over. I imagined many aspects of my life would be easier and more clear-cut when I took those steps down the aisle. I knew my husband and I would go through losing one another's parents. I knew we would raise children and share parenting triumphs and trials. I didn't imagine my marriage would look like this, but maybe what it looks like doesn't matter. Maybe what it looks like is perfect the way it is.
If the point of marriage is to feel love, I have. If the point of marriage is to support someone through thick and thin, I have. If the point of marriage is to create and nurture a family moving forward, we do.
Part of moving on from my marriage has been learning to be independent - financially, emotionally, as a parent, and as a home owner. I have learned that I am my own rescuer, not someone else. Relying on people is good, but not at the expense of disregarding our own capabilities and worth. I am no different on my own than I was when I was married - I only believed the illusion that life was easier and safer with a partner.
Read MoreIt would be so much easier to erase the whole incident, ignore my own needs and put everyone back together, even if you could still see the tape and glue and flaws. Divorce is not something I wished for my children.
Read MoreThe greatest lesson I’ve learned in life is that my path is not my plan. I can’t hold onto anything. Nothing is mine – not even my own boys. I get to guide them, teach them, and observe them in awe, but the path God has set for them is not up to me. I am a witness to their journey, and hopefully I can honor that position.
Read MoreIt is Saturday, so my husband Nick stays home with the boys while I go to yoga class.
Read MoreRaindrops sprinkled onto the windows and matted down the freshly cut grass. I had just mowed the lawn the day before – the second time.
Read MoreThe man at the tree lot this year helped us tie our Christmas tree to the top of the car.
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