I want to share a bit about my journey through some transitions in my life, I have faced many seasons throughout my journey. Life has handed me challenges that have shaped who I am today. I started with childhood trauma at the age of eight, lost my first friend to an early death in the 5th grade, to loosing another dear friend in the 7th grade. As an adult I faced raising a son with special needs and learned to embrace a life different from the one I’d imagined for him—and for his dad, his sister, and myself. That journey of acceptance has brought some of the most unexpected blessings. My son’s spirit is one of the greatest gifts in all of our lives. His kindness and perspective bring a unique joy to our family, and his deep love for his sister—who, in her often subtle and sometimes bold ways, brings humor and connection to our lives. These are constant reminders of the beauty that surrounds us. Watching the two of them together, I am reminded daily of the many forms love can take, how it can be gentle yet profound, humble yet boundless. Through them, I’ve come to know that even as life shapes us with its challenges, it continues to give back in ways I never could have foreseen.

There have been many losses throughout my life—a marriage that couldn’t withstand the weight of our trials, a journey through alcoholism that I fought hard to overcome after battling it from an early age, and the quiet, painful farewells to both my parents, my grandfather, aunts and uncles, cousins too many friends gone much too soon. Professionally, I’ve experienced loss as well. After over two decades with one company, I faced the disorienting reality of being laid off, losing not only a job but a piece of my identity. When burnout eventually overtook me after a decade at a newer role, I struggled with a profound sense of loss, unsure of who I was without the career I had devoted so much of myself to. Each of these losses brought its own pain, but each one also contained seeds of blessing that, in time, brought growth and deepened my spirit. I’ve learned that through letting go, we are often given something back — a piece of ourselves, a lesson in resilience, a new way of seeing the world.

In all these experiences of grief, I have found that it is not just a journey of loss but of transformation. Each goodbye has led me to a place of deeper connection—with myself, with my loved ones, and with something larger than I’d ever known, whom I call God. Even as a young person, I was often the steady presence for friends facing their own losses, a role I’ve continued to hold through the years. And through each experience, I’ve come to understand that, as painful as grief can be, it also brings with it a profound spiritual clarity. It reminds me that love is not bound by time or circumstance; it is an endless thread, woven through every moment we share. My hope in sharing this story is that others may feel a little less alone in their own journeys, knowing that healing, growth, and even joy can emerge from the very depths of sorrow, revealing that life, even in its hardest moments, is always guiding us forward.