I've always been fairly "candid" about my life on my blog. I've never been one to shy away from the truth, not here. When I originally started blogging back in 2007, what ultimately motivated me to write, was the struggles I'd been facing as a young pregnant, frightened woman who's husband was fighting a battle against an aggressive form of brain cancer, to which he lost. It was a tough reality, an unfamiliar path that took me to dark places I never imagined existed and that made surviving, an almost impossible feat. I felt that in some way, blogging would be of positive benefit to me and would serve as a means of connecting with others facing similar circumstances, or simply those dealing in hardship, no matter the cause. Over the years, I'd heard from numerous people, including those of the international community. In their outstretched hands were reverberations of my own personal journey; an unexpected loss, shock, sadness, denial, anger, avoidance, isolation, fatigue, depression, etc. Also, I'd heard from many just wanting to express words of encouragement and to remind me to stay "strong", and that at some point, I would succumb to peace once again. Via the daily inflow of communications, I noticed a gradual pattern taking shape - the more "honest"/"authentic" the writing, the greater the response. I started to wonder, "Why is that?"..and then this video came recommended to me. The presenter is Brene Brown, Author of "I Thought it was Just Me (but it isn't)", a book about being "enough", loving ourselves for who we are, and building genuine, meaningful connections. Turns out, that vunerability is at the center of it all, as well as authenticity..who would of ever guessed? Take the twenty minutes to watch it. When you're done, pass it along to someone in need of encouragement and support. I recommend the book, too. It's life changing....
