It’s hard to put yourself out there. To talk about the hard things. To acknowledge that you struggle. But every time that I do, I am taken aback. By the support. The love. The virtual nods of sympathy and looks of understanding. The comments. The e-mails. The phone calls. The cards.
We all know sadness
And I feel your pain
Well everybody knows a little loneliness sometimes
‘Cause we’re all the same
And I feel your pain
Well everybody knows a little loneliness sometimes
‘Cause we’re all the same
A remarkable amount of people have reached out to me. Sharing their own stories. Of miscarriage. Of infertility. Of young stroke survivors. Of kidney disease. Of their own times surviving on ramen noodles and dreams.
We all have sorrow
We all have shame
Everybody feels a bit of emptiness sometimes
Now what you gonna do about that
We all have shame
Everybody feels a bit of emptiness sometimes
Now what you gonna do about that
At times, I want to say NO. My experience is mine and no one could ever know what I feel. And to an extent, that’s true for all of us. We can never know other journeys the way we know our own. But we can choose isolation, or we can choose connection. We can know that although people cannot be in our shoes, they can share situations that are painfully similar. And often, they can share their stories of hope.
There’s a way to keep going
Step by step
Try to fix what’s been broken
Brick by brick
While your life will keep coming
Year after year
Drain the pain
Tear by tear
Drain away the pain
Tear by tear
Step by step
Try to fix what’s been broken
Brick by brick
While your life will keep coming
Year after year
Drain the pain
Tear by tear
Drain away the pain
Tear by tear
I will not allow myself to be isolated. I will not allow things that have happened in my life, to determine who I am. They are no stronger than they wonderful things that counteract them. They are all only pieces and parts. I admit though, those bad things? They are compelling. Some days they force me into a corner until all I want to do is crawl underneath the covers. And then I write about it.
Take a look around you
Every face that you see
Well everybody gets a little paralyzed sometimes
The epidemic of our insanity
Every face that you see
Well everybody gets a little paralyzed sometimes
The epidemic of our insanity
And there all of you are. With your own stories. With your own tears. And you lend me your strength. You lend me your smiles. You hope for me when I can no longer hope. You say prayers. You offer little pieces of sunshine that will eventually lead me out of the darkness.
Thank you. Each and every one of you. The new, the old, those I’ve known for all my life and those I’ve met recently through this virtual journey. Thank you for a hand up when I need it, a shove when I need it, a good laugh, a kick in the pants when I need it, and love (isn’t that all we really need, after all?)
*Lyrics are “Tear by Tear” by Sister Hazel. Go here to hear the song, I love it.
*****
Linked up with Shell for Pour Your Heart Out
So many mornings you, a complete stranger, inspire me and let me know that I am not alone in my struggles though they are different than yours. I am grateful for electronic media (not nearly as eloquent as the way you said it). Thanks for sharing and keep writing because you are truly very good at it.
Absolutely. In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."
Popped in from SITS. It's so funny how we can feel so alone when we're not. We really are all the same.
I'm glad you've decided to keep us around. We're pretty stubborn, so I think you made the right choice.
You're awesome, and loved.
No one can ever 100% know your struggles. What we can always do, though, is hold your hand and sit through it all with you. I'd love to do that. HUGS.
We can't know the exact path that someone is on, but I think we all relate to difficult times. Sending hugs!
This is one of the most incredible things about sharing my story — the outpouring of love and concern I receive. And I feel blessed to be able to offer it to others as well.
I believe blogging has given such an important voice to women (men, too, but mostly women). We are able to speak and be heard about things that otherwise might not be known. And it's powerful.
I hope today is full of sunshine for you.
I've been blogging quite a while, and it surprises me sometimes how "close" I feel to people I've never met in person. In many ways, my blog friends know me better than the real-lifers.
YOU are a new blog friend that I'm very glad to have "stumbled upon". Very very nice post!
We've come a long way in the last 16ish years
. I love sharing my journey with you.
Hugs
Your journey is unique to yourself, but I think its so important to have someone who can relate. Someone who can say, "Ive been there. Your going to come out of the other side of this." Great post!
Beautifully said Jenn understanding and friendship- the priceless benefits of blogging.
Thank you for this wonderful reminder! The song is just great!
Such an excellent post "we can choose isolation or we can choose connection" so true. I often begin to isolate myself when things are painful but always come back around and connect again and am amazed by the support I find. I hope I can support you when you need it most.
This is a great reminder to why I blog. Loved the words of this song. And you are so right we all have the choice to choose isolation of connection, regardless of how unique our situatio
Such a beautiful post. You've captured just the way it feels to go through a difficult thing in life. We've all been there at one time or another.
By the way, I LOVE your new header! It looks fantastic!
What a beautiful post. You're are so right. It's a matter of choice. We can choose stand alone or we can allow others to help, accompany and journey alongside. Thank you and it's wonderful to know you through blogging.