“Be Bold. Amaze Yourself. Take Chances. Live Your Life With Determination. This Your Time. You only LIVE ONCE.” ~ Author Unknown

One thing life has taught me is that: Life is worth fighting for.

My new life is very different from the life I had when Greg was still here.

My new normal is very different from the first few years after losing Greg.

While there are still aspects of my old life that are still in my new normal, a lot of growth and healing took place for me to be where I am at now in life.

I remember how life was those first two years after losing Greg. I didn’t care about life in the ways I had before; I couldn’t invest myself in life in the same ways as I previously did. Even when I reached out and helped others, I just wanted my old life back. I would have given anything to have Greg back and not live without him. I had to fight everyday just to live. Just to breathe.

The fact that I have a whole new life now (full of its own trials) doesn’t mean the pain of loss is no longer there or that I have forgotten Greg.

I know I can not change that Greg died and that he isn’t here.

But what I can change is how I live the rest of my life and put the love we shared back out into the world.

I live for each day because I know that I am not guaranteed a tomorrow. (Obviously, I learned that when Greg didn’t come home.)

I live in each moment because I do not know what tomorrow brings, all I know is what I hope for and the peace my faith brings me.

I live each day to help other people and to bring more good into the world. I live each day to give back something positive to someone else’s life. Whether it’s in my job, in my career, as an artist, as a friend, daughter or sister.

I live each day because I have fought every minute of everyday to get to this point in my life.

Many things go into rebuilding a life after experiencing traumatic events that change who we are. In my own life it seems every so many years I have an experience that I can let either break me or I can chose to let it grow me.

In the moment at times it feels like I can’t take anymore and that’s where my faith carries me through. I chose to learn from and grow from the negative experiences in life. While these experiences do not define me, they have helped shape who I am today.

I am a firm believer that we are each born for a specific time period and a specific purpose. God created you and just you for a specific task to accomplish at this specific time.

I have learned the hard way that life is worth fighting for. That there is beauty in every day. That every experience can help us grow into the individuals God created us to be. We only have one life and it is this life. We only have this time and life is too precious to not fight for.