I’m so happy Jen brought her writing back to Like a Sister. It’s been on her heart for a while and I’m proud of her for following through. It’s a big deal deciding to put your heart and thoughts out for the world to hear (or ignore which can be even scarier). The world needs more people telling their truths about how life is beautiful and ugly all at the same time. The world also needs more people encouraging one another. All of us are stronger when we know we have people in our corner cheering us on. I’m back here on Like a Sister to tell my truth and cheer you on.
Walk this Road with Me
What was so striking to me about Jen’s most recent LAS posts, was how much I didn’t realize I needed to hear her words until I read them. We are all walking this road of being human in this hard and beautiful world. Some days all we need is to see ourselves in one other person to know we are not alone. I was also struck with a feeling of longing. I realized how much I also missed writing on the blog, but I couldn’t quite figure out how I could fit blog writing back into my life. Being a full time working mom with 4 kids, I often feel like I am barely getting by, which is a feeling I know is familiar to all of us.
But, then I started digging into the stories I’ve been telling myself and I realized something. Over the past few years, writing has become a part of who I am. I journal almost every morning and have a hard time functioning well when I skip. A friend of mine calls journaling “a vital pathway home to myself” and I feel that with my whole being. While my journal entries are not finished blog posts, I know that they are the beginning of something that could make at least one person feel less alone. So I’m not promising perfectly polished posts. But, I am promising to share my scattered thoughts with the intention of helping just one person feel like they have someone in their corner. And, if it’s not helpful to a single soul, I’m ok with that too because I know it will be productive for me to put my experiences down in print. And my mom will love reading it.
I really love writing. I didn’t always know that about myself because I never really tried. Writing is similar to running in that way to me. Twenty years ago, I would have never called myself a runner, but I had one friend who said, “Run a marathon with me.” Five years ago I would have never called myself a writer, but I had two sisters who said, “Let’s write a blog.” Writing and running are both identities that I’ve come to adopt later in life only because I had people in my life who invited me into a new space, cheered me on, and encouraged me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
So, I just want to say, thank you, Jen. Thank you for inspiring me to come back to myself, come back to my writing, and come back to Like a Sister. We are better together. Let us cheer one another on and make sure that no one is ever left standing by themselves.
