Lainie Hartley

👧🏻 Little Me: Are we going to be okay?

👩🏻 Current Me: Not for a while.

👧🏻 Little Me: What do you mean?

👩🏻 Current Me: There will be years where we become really good at surviving but forget how to simply live.

👧🏻 Little Me: Does anyone save us?

👩🏻 Current Me: No.

👵🏻 Older Me: Something even more beautiful happens… we discover a Saviour, who gives us the strength to keep going.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do we ever stop feeling different from everyone else?

👩🏻 Current Me: We stop seeing it as brokenness and start seeing it as uniqueness.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do we ever get our childhood back?

👩🏻 Current Me: No, my love.

👵🏻 Older Me: But we create the kind of childhood for our children that we once needed ourselves.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do people ever choose us?

👩🏻 Current Me: Yes.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do we believe them?

👩🏻 Current Me: Eventually.

👧🏻 Little Me: What happens to all the lonely parts of us?

👩🏻 Current Me: They don’t disappear.

👵🏻 Older Me: They become the very reason other people feel safe with us.

👧🏻 Little Me: So all the pain wasn’t wasted?

👩🏻 Current Me: Not one piece of it.

👵🏻 Older Me: Every tear, every fear, every empty place will be used to help us and others grow.

👧🏻 Little Me: What do we become?

👩🏻 Current Me: Someone who stops asking, “Why did this happen to me?” and starts asking, “What is this preparing me for?”

👧🏻 Little Me: So… we make it?

👩🏻 Current Me: We do more than make it.

👵🏻 Older Me: We build a life that little you never even had permission to dream about. 🩷

Wouldn’t it be so beautiful to sit down with versions of ourselves throughout our lives? What would you say to your younger self? What do you think the older version of you would tell the current you?

(Inspired by ).

I posted this earlier this week, and then took it down.
I shared a super vulnerable caption but after reflecting,
I realized I wanted to keep my feelings and words for myself, my siblings, and my therapist.

I will say this: Forgiveness doesn’t mean access, and it doesn’t justify what’s happened. We can make room if we choose, but boundaries are for our protection…some people build walls, and others build gates. You get to decide who and how and if they enter. ❤️

Someone actions left an imprint on your nervous system. Some have left scars, and that feels unfair. There’s GRIEF associated with that, and it’s valid. ❤️

True forgiveness should release us from anger, rage, bitterness and resentment. We don’t need to hold onto those feelings…forgiveness is for us.

I feel these words with every part of my being.
So, I’ll leave this here for thought and reflection.

Xoxo

Who’s the hardest person you’ve had to forgive?
What’s the hardest part about forgiveness?
How did you feel after you forgave?
What does forgiveness mean to you?

Let’s talk about it. ❤️

Day 20 of 31

In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.

Today’s feature: Theresa Cameron
Book: Foster Care Odyssey: A Black Girl’s Story

Foster care should be understood through the voices of those who lived it.

If you’re able, consider supporting these authors (and their causes!) by ordering a copy of their book or leaving a review. ❤️

Day 19 of 31

In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.

Today’s feature: Shenandoah Chefalo
Book: Garbage Bag Suitcase

Foster care should be understood through the voices of those who lived it.

If you’re able, consider supporting these authors (and their causes!) by ordering a copy of their book or leaving a review. ❤️

Day 18 of 31

In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.

Today’s feature: Lisa Aguirre
Book: The Faces of Foster Care

Foster care should be understood through the voices of those who lived it.

If you’re able, consider supporting these authors (and their causes!) by ordering a copy of their book or leaving a review. ❤️