Truth is, we all hurt. When we all look deep within ourselves, there is something that causes us pain. The world we live in is cruel and terrible things happen. But, the world is also beautiful and really good things happen; what matters is our perspective. God made us who we are for a reason. We are all blessed with a path in life that brings us both joy and sorrow. He gave us strengths to get us through our hardships and weaknesses that we must overcome. There are days my anxiety controls me, I feel overwhelmed; like I am collapsing in on myself. I made the decision a long time ago that I was not going to medicate my anxiety; I felt like it was something that needed to be dealt with head-on and not simply covered up with chemicals. Not that I am against such medications, I know plenty of people who have greatly benefited from them, I just feel like it is not the best solution for my situation. Getting outside calms my soul; it brings me closer to God. I am learning to express myself through my photography and writing, and to embrace these as a way to say the things I have a hard time saying aloud.
Most of all, my reflections have taught me that no matter how hard I try, my children will struggle in life. There is nothing I can do to prevent them from feeling pain. But, what I can do as a parent is; teach them how to deal with their problems effectively and how to be loving, self-respecting adults. I can teach them to embrace every moment and live as if tomorrow might not happen; realistically, the future is something we have no control over. We could all wake up to a life completely different from what we know right now. My children will know the importance of expressing feelings and how toxic holding in hate and anger can be. They will know to be honest and forgiving. Most of all, they will know how important it is to live their lives in whatever way brings them the most fulfillment and joy.
