I was listening to Glennon Doyle Melton this morning. She is one of those women that when she speaks…

I was listening to Glennon Doyle Melton this morning. She is one of those women that when she speaks she has my full attention. She was talking about how she had been running from her pain her whole life and that led to drugs and abuse and misery. That it wasn't until she let the pain be and just stayed with it for some time and embraced it and survived it, that she found herself finally.

As I was listening I realized that that is what is happening to me. I am embracing my pain and that is how my life is unfolding, by living in the pain and knowing I can survive it! Every day I go through physical pain. It hits me the worst at night after the days' activities but I've also learned to sit with the pain of loss over this year. I was a runner. Gosh, when I was in my late teens' the early twenties I ran and hid from everything, and everyone. I thought that if was hiding out it could never catch up to me, but that was what made it worse and kept me in a deep depression. Whereas if I had just lived in the pain for that period of time it wouldn't have built up and become this giant shadowy monster that followed me around with shame and guilt everywhere.

Glennon also said that instead of protecting our babies from the pain that they need to embrace their own to become who they need to be. And that got me thinking of Native American culture when they would send their young boys out on their quest in the woods to become a man when they returned (although now girls should be a part of the ritual as well). But they're right! Living through our pain not hiding or running from it shapes who we are and it makes us stronger!

And everyone has more than one pain and there will always be more because as long as we're alive things happen, but once you have learned the skill of being and winning over your pain, other pain is more doable!

So are you running from your pain or are you living and fighting it daily! I'm always here for you if you need help who has survived. Love you guys!

#pain #warrior #strength #motivation