Don’t Live Life Alone.

In 2018, a traumatic and life-altering event took place in my life. It broke me. I remember the day, the tears, the guilt, the shame, the fear. Everything I knew turned upside down and I was lost. Really lost.

In those first few moments I did two things - asked Jesus to help me and phoned a friend.

Looking back at that day and the days that followed I had no idea reaching out to friends was the very thing that saved my life. Literally and figuratively. I learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life during that time.

Satan loves to isolate us. He wants us to feel alone. In those dark places he can heap shame and guilt. Fear builds, negative self-talk spirals out of control and before we realize it - we are completely destroyed.

Because I reached out he couldn’t destroy me, my friends were there speaking truth over my life. They were praying for me, fighting for me, Even in my darkest moments I was not alone. I would get texts, “I heard this song and thought of you.” Facebook messages, “I was praying this morning and God brought you to my mind, I prayed for your today.” And do you know those messages came on the hardest days; the days when I was ready to give in and say I can’t fight anymore.

If you don’t have friends like that how to do you find them? Ask for help. Seriously, you have to start somewhere!

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Phone a friend and see if they can watch your kids for a few hours, so you can rest.

Are you hurting? Send a text and say, “Can you pray for me? I’m having a hard day.”

Are you struggling putting your kids to bed? Ask on social media for tips.

THEN…go the next step. When the person you reach out to asks the next question…commit to connect. It sounds silly, but too often we want to safely and slowly build a connection bridge. Ain’t no one got time to build something slow these days. When they ask, “why are you having a hard day?” Share. When they ask, “why are you overwhelmed?” Share. You don’t need to word vomit all over them, but be honest. When someone gives you a tip that works, follow up and let them know!

Another idea, are you acquaintances with someone you would like to know more? If so, ask them for coffee! Schedule a play date for your kids. .You can’t build relationships by doing nothing. And stop justifying your actions. You are too busy. They are too busy. It’s not the right time. STOP IT!

You need community. We all do.

Friends, I want this to be my first post because this experience changed my life. In the months that followed I started to see a licensed therapist for PTSD, anxiety and depression. Through our sessions I started to heal from the incident, I learned that some of my experiences in my childhood created unhealthy patterns. I discovered I lacked boundaries in some really important areas of my life.

In our first session together she said, “When we are done you will feel like you put on the most comfortable pair of blue jeans. You will be who you were meant to be.” Full confession…I thought she was a touch looney! But I get it now. As I worked through my junk, committed to bring change and heal, I started to get more and more comfortable in my own skin. I want that for you.

I am not a licensed therapist, I just have my experiences and stories. What I do hope is that as I share you can pick up a thing or two that will help you. Maybe it’s a parenting tool, a few good recipes, tips to find a great deal, or just a place to connect and know you are not alone.

I am so glad you are here.

Side Note: A great book I read during my incredible season of hard was “It’s not suppose to be this way” by Lysa TerKeurst. I highly recommend it.

-2* at Hyland Hills, Bloomington, Minnesota.