Be your own story of hope

The end of the decade is a strange time. It’s full of all the similar reflections and self evaluations of New Years Eve, just on a grander scale, and with many more memories and moments.

For me the 2010’s have seen unbelievable highs and the lowest of lows. I got Married, had two beautiful Daughters, moved countries twice and had multiple roles moving in the right direction. I’ve made many new friends and pretty much traveled the world - all with the glamour that comes with business trips - but it was exciting times.

Then of course we had the lowest of all lows. Hannah’s cancer diagnosis came at the peak of what I thought was happiness. I wanted for little and remember being so content with life. I had everything I never thought I dreamed of.

The months that followed were trauma beyond belief and culminated in a grieving process I don’t think we’ll ever come out of. We are learning to live with it, but it will never leave us.

It was like the 2010’s filled our hearts to the absolute brim before smashing it to pieces all over the floor.

Yet despite all that, we are still here. We’ve learned to laugh again and smile and be happy and love each other and ourselves again, and with each day I think we learn a little more to accept Hannah is actually gone, at least in person. I think that is an important part of grief. Grief doesn’t happen without love.

I’m not sure proud is the right word, but with everything life has thrown at us this last decade, I guess I’m happy we dealt with it all with the way we dealt with it all. I still feel more blessed than beaten.

We are still living, still moving forward and still happy - a story of hope I guess. We’ve faced our worst nightmares and somehow come out the other side.

None of us know what the next ten years will hold. We don’t see many new decades in in our lifetime. We will meet new loved ones and probably say goodbye to others. Some of us won't be here to see the 2030’s and we have no clue what the future holds.

This world will break your heart a thousand times a day if you left it. Try to let in only what you can deal with.

I wish everyone well and prosperity, but if that doesn't come to you, and you fall on difficult times in the years ahead. I hope you find the strength to survive and the strength to overcome whatever life throws at you. I hope you continue to love and laugh no matter what the adversity you are faced with. I promise you that someone will be rooting for you.

I hope you become your own story of hope - because people like me need people like you.

With hope in your heart x