Mistakes

Only when we have cried out from the very core of our souls, do we know the real beauty and joy this world offers.

Only when we have been lost and unable to see the next step, does the path open before us. 

Only when we gather the last morsels of strength to push forward do we find what we are capable of achieving.

Our “mistakes” aren't mistakes at all. They are the tools and experiences we are gifted with for the journey. They are our trail markers to the breathtaking vistas. They are priceless and they are precious. The gifts aren't easily acquired. To possess them means, you have fallen...and you have gotten back up.

Our strength is not discovered when we stand firmly on two feet, but rather, on our hands and knees as we crawl and fight our way out of the pit. Our strength is summoned by our spirit when we have nothing left in us, but we still manage to try...one..more...time. This is the crescendo moment in which we know we will either make it or fall back into the abyss forever.

When we finally reach the edge and are back on terra firma, our spirits roar with a deafening sound.  I SURVIVED! YOU DID NOT KEEP ME DOWN! Through our pain and our suffering we are introduced to our intimate, raw, primal strength.

If we are open and willing, our pain and suffering will provide us with compassion and connection to others. It is through this compassion that we become part of the collective human spirit. Only then do we truly know our sisters, brothers, and ourselves.