Dearest Michelle,You were born into this world a fighter and that is what you have done for the last 45 years. FIGHT. You have fought through childhood’s traumatic curve balls, and you have continued to push through the many faces, and storms of domestic violence. It is time to rest. It is time to put your dreams of connecting victims of traumatic life events to work. You hold the key to the rest of your life’s beautiful dance. I know it has been scary, but you cannot hide from the world and succeed. It’s time to put one foot in front of the other and gently take the first step. Step into your power, step into your light. You are a survivor. It’s time to shed the shame you have felt for so long, and to fill the gaps of your broken heart with gold. There is no looking back. Only forward. You are helping victims become survivors and giving them a feeling of security by matching them with an animal so that they can heal together. It is good. You are good, life is good. You never give up. You never stopped believing that you would help others heal and now, here you are. You have accomplished everything that many said you couldn’t. They/ He tried to kill your spirit, but you came back even stronger than ever. Because you are a survivor. Life was not over for you when you thought it was. You were given the gift of another day, so breathe in each moment and believe that you have stepped into your purpose. Step into your power, and LIVE.

Dear Me,

Thank you for taking the time to sit with yourself and process your thoughts and feelings. This year, you really took yourself & your ideas seriously. Your perseverance through rejection is admirable and I appreciate you, even when others don’t.

When you lost your job in January- you didn’t beat yourself up.

When the bank funds were low- you leaned on your family for support while pushing through to find a new job.

When you felt broke, busted, and disgusted- you sought wisdom in books, the Bible, and your family.

You manifested cool opportunities & got creative with the tools at your disposal.

To me, you may not be exactly where you want to be, however, you’ve come farther than you expected. You could’ve chosen to listen to well- meaning advice, but you listened to your gut & for that I respect you!

Thank you for being you- which is the hardest thing to do.

Love you for life,

I am so happy to be here writing this to you today, as I know you need to hear this. I can see you struggling as you slowly shed your past self away. I know how painful it can be when you realize all of the time you spent worrying about everything beyond your control, and sometimes it even feels like you’re grieving the loss of your own life. I just want to tell you that all of the work you’re doing is exactly what you need to be doing. I know it is difficult to face old traumas and at times you may feel like giving up, but I promise that you are strong enough to handle all of it.

You have always known what is best for you; even when you lost that trust in yourself for a while, you still had it deep within you and you always end up back on your path. When you find yourself falling back into spirituality and trusting the divine timing, trust it. The reason you are so drawn to that is because the overall message is true: you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Digging deep into your shadow, seeing your most toxic, dark parts coming out into the light, while learning to see them with non-judgment and compassion is helping you to get closer to your dreams.

You may find it hard to get into healthy habits and routines, but as you continue on your healing journey, you will discover the exact tools you need to achieve your goals. I know at times it can feel easy to get down on yourself, and it can feel like this is going to be an endless cycle of self-doubt and failure…but just know that you get through everything, and you are thriving. There are times in your life where you may feel like you’re broken, or there is no way you would ever get back to being happy or feeling healed, but please just remember that you are stronger than you think.

You are the girl who survived living in a home where both of your parents found themselves struggling with alcohol, and you made sure that you got out as soon as you could. You are the girl who knew she had to talk that cute guy in her class junior year, and now you have spent over a decade together happily in love. You are the woman who was able to take her life into her own hands and escape a toxic work environment, even with the fears of taking a pay-cut during a pandemic. You are the woman who signed up to go to therapy and became open-minded to medications in order to help yourself when you needed it. You are the woman who is continuously working through hard truths, healing old wounds, and still showing up every day for me: your future self.

Your dreams are a result of your hard work and dedication, and you already know the direction you want to go. Keep working towards your current goals and when your intuition keeps bringing you back to something, trust it. Ideas will come and go, and in times where it feels overwhelming, just remember that what is meant to be will be. Just promise me that during hard times, you will always come back to self-love, and that you will continue to give yourself grace. You deserve the happiness that you are striving for, and even during the hardest times, you hold that feeling deep within you. Thank you for all of the work you’re doing to heal, and just know that you will be a stronger, happier person because of it.