Like An Army

To all of you out there who are struggling right now, have struggled in the past, and will struggle in the future to keep the faith that your marriage, friendship, or relationship will work…and to one person especially close to my heart, this is for you.

            There comes a time in many of our marriages or other types of relationships where the faith is hard to hold on to and we question what exactly we got ourselves into. It is often a blind faith with seemingly little reassurance that everything will be alright, and it may be hard to push the negative thoughts away at times. I urge this upon you:

1. Love yourself first. Be strong for yourself, your children, and the others that look up to you. You are beautiful and smart. Please do not lose your confidence.
2. When in the middle of a maddening argument, ask yourself…would we have fought about this while we were dating? Would we have fought about this in our first year of marriage? Would we have fought about this before our children were born? Is it worth the fight?
3. What made me fall in love with this person?

It’s so easy to forget all of these things, and quickly. A very special person in my life gave me the advice to forever stay strong. If you can stay strong for yourself and your children, your children will become just that, strong. And if you can remain strong, you will be able to be happy and satisfied with any decision that you make. Don’t have regrets, it’s okay to take as long as you want to make a decision…big or small, but once you make that decision, don’t regret it. Crying does not make you weak, or feeble minded, and it is okay to be sensitive. It is OKAY to wear your emotions on your sleeve, happy, sad, or mad. If you can do this, it usually means you have the amazing ability to pick up on other people’s emotions, and this is an excellent quality for you as a mother, friend, sister, wife, whatever you identify yourself as. Know that you were put into another person’s life for a reason, or they were put into yours for a reason. Yes, this sounds cliché, but I believe it to be true.

Lastly, allow happiness into all areas of your life. Erase the insignificant drama, the eye rolls, and the gossip. Say hello to a stranger, and smile at them. Without knowing it, you may have made their day great. Call an old college roommate, someone that you think about often but don’t make the time for. Smile at yourself in the mirror before you leave for work, know that you are ready to take on whatever today may bring. And when you arrive home, give your children, husband, or dog a big, long hug…I promise it will make you smile! And most of all, remember…whatever happens, or doesn’t happen in your life…your true friends will always be there for you and stand behind you like an army.