What a trip around the sun this past year has been.

If I learned anything, it was that I could turn my pain into purpose and grievances into grace.

Each year I pray to be more tender-hearted, more rooted in grace, and more sure in my faith.

And I’ll be honest, despite a lot of personal and professional success, there were many days plagued by darkness. Days that felt unbearable.

I felt like I had been placed in a fire with two options:
-to be refined or burn.
-to let my past and circumstances dictate where I would stay.
OR
-to do the messy, bone-breaking work that was in alignment with the woman God called me to be.

I think “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman does a beautiful job at describing how each of the last few years has been characterized. It’s such a beautiful, powerful, moving song.

22: No one’ll love you as you are
23: This is brave, this is bruised
24: This is who I’m meant to be, this is me

I think the younger version of me would be proud to see the woman I’ve become.

For every difficult day, I’m thankful.
Truly.
For all of it.

Photo @jessicagoldphoto Styling @tristanneedhamdesign Beauty @jadejamrozy