I don’t know exactly how faith works, but it does.

And I know that there is peace, calm, love, and care beyond the quiet of prayer and meditation.

The most disconcerting thing about change and growth is it does exactly what it is meant to do - it changes who we are - and if that’s not disconcerting, I don’t know what is. 

Rest assured, the people who are treating us terribly are doing the same to others, and worse, they are doing it to themselves. That isn’t an excuse, but faith brought me to a place of compassion for all of us caught in that terrible dance.

Faith has helped me make really hard choices to feel better and be more safe, and I genuinely hope it may do the same for you, too.

Saying Everything happens for a reason to anyone who has lost a loved one or gone through heartbreak recently is like asking to get your teeth punched in. It’s just plain ill advised.

Getting what we want and knowing what to do with it often requires a spiritual reset first, where we’re focused on calm and healing and we’re not seeking anything at all, other than peace, wellness, and self-awareness. 

Call it whatever we want, it’s always here for us, the question is are we ready to receive it, believe in it, and not BLEEP it up?

Call it whatever you want - socially inept, a bull in a social china shop (my personal favorite), confusing, confused, an imposter, masking, a wolf in sheep’s clothing - many of us are working very hard at getting it right (whatever it may be) while inadvertently acting like a robot wearing human skin. 

I highly recommend experimenting with seeking faith as a path to a stronger, softer version of ourselves.   

I must say, speaking from experience, forgiving oneself is extraordinarily healing. 

I am not advocating for sainthood in this writing. I am advocating for a return to focusing on and believing in a basic Good first, before anything else. And if any reader is so inclined, they can call it God.

There’s a reason why trauma survivors (hello, pretty much everyone) have a hard time with forgiveness.

Let’s face it, we all need to be in therapy. Thanks, Uncle Sam!

Duh.

Is a safety net full of holes still a safety net? 

There are a lot of warnings that should come on the label when it comes to cultivating faith.

Baby steps, people, baby steps to greatness. And remember, this is not about sainthood, this is about healing.

It’s not exactly a walk in the park or the most delightful ride, but it also seems like another step in the process that only turns up when we’re ready for it. Faith is funny like that. 

It’s annoying, but faith is full of win-wins.

Slow down. Deep breaths. Kind words. And if you are so inclined, prayer.