Wilderness-

 Daughters,

This will be the final post of 2020. And although, I have only just begun to write you here; finalizing this year feels equally important as to what I am about to say. Let's face it, 2020 was a dumpster-fire of a year! There's no sugarcoating it! As much as I wanted to, I cant and didn't hide many of the emotions that came with the pandemic. But as much as that embarrasses me in a way; it perfectly ties into what I will share with you. Viola Davis said, "I will not be a mystery to my daughter. She will know me and I will share my stories with her- the stories of failure, shame, and accomplishment. She will know she's not alone in that wilderness." 

I have always loved Viola Davis, but her statement above gave me the very permission to do the same with you two. As I headed into motherhood almost seven years ago, I wanted to do the opposite once the time came for long discussions and worst of all, for you to experience some of the same heartache as I had. But after reading her words, I realized that it is my job as your parent to share my past rather than hide from it. Of course, it will be my natural reaction to fix your problems or to prevent you from even experiencing them in the first place. But in sharing my own experiences, I never want you to feel like you have to do the same, or that in any way, I am comparing your lives to my own. Instead, I hope to show you and make you feel like you are not alone. 

-You are never alone in that wilderness,

Mom

*Quote taken from Brene' Brown's Braving the Wilderness