What am I doing?

Change is normal. It happens whether we want it to or not. In the past several years I (like most of us) have faced changes and challenges. It has been said that adversity doesn't build character, it reveals character. I may not like the adversity I have faced, but I know I am more confident, stronger and better equipped to face the future than I was 5 years ago. I won't bore you with the country song that my life has become. If you know me you know it by heart. If you don't know me, it will suffice to say I have plenty of material to take to Nashville and write an entire album for some country star.

In addition to the challenges I've faced, I have found more love and kindness and support than I ever hoped to find. I have reconnected with friends from years past, and find that we pick up where we left off, but it is better now. We are more mature, more comfortable with who we are and less worried what others think of us. We take one another at face value, we don't criticize or judge one another (unless we need some tough love). We help each other up and back on the path we are walking together. My friends and loved ones from recent years have watched me take one of the most difficult steps of my life and, as much as it hurt each of us, have wished me well and helped me get this new adventure under way. I know it sounds cheesy, but I can't imagine the last months and years without such amazing people in my life. I am walking this new path, knowing you are with me and ready to pull me back on the path when I wander off, just as I am there to help you back on when the way is unclear.

Thank you for sticking with me - and reading this blog. I promise, next time I will not sound like a Hallmark store exploded.