I have thought about how and when I would share this chapter, and after this week it felt right. This year has brought us waves, and the most monumental came in July. There are four words no child ever wants to have to utter and it was through tears and quivering lips my husband uttered them to me: “My mom has cancer.” In the span of the 2 seconds it takes to say and read them, life changed. All those fears I kept quiet within me surfaced. I felt overwhelmed. I felt thrust into a tidal wave- reeling through it trying to come up for air. And I did.
There were days I just did not know how I would get through the day. I would sit in my little space and let my hands create. And they did. Through the fears, the tears, the anxiety, my hands found a way to create beautiful things. The things that you ladies would come to buy. With every order you helped me get through my most difficult days and gave me the push I needed to keep going. My designs were my therapy and you ladies, by extension, my therapists. This has been how I have coped and have been able to process so much of what I have had going on.
I heard these words early on and they have been essential in me not losing my joy: “Gratitude doesn’t cure suffering, but it has the power to heal. Gratitude doesn’t erase despair, but it has the power to radiate hope. Gratitude nullifies negativity.” I have found gratitude each and every day- in the walks I take, the sunsets I see, the flowers I have come to care for, all of it. I stand here above all grateful for the God that has helped us through these challenging times and for our hope. Through the waves this “hope as anchor for the soul, both sure and firm” has kept us smiling in the face of life’s adversities. (Heb 6:19)
This year we want you to know how every single order has helped my small business beyond just monetarily. You helped us survive the most challenging of life’s circumstances. It is with the most grateful of hearts both Jay and I thank you for helping us through this year. Unbeknownst to you, you all helped us just keep swimming. Thank you for keeping not only my little business afloat, but more than anything else, myself.