I've had an entire month to think about this post. When I poured out my heart at the beginning of December, I had no idea if I would ever write a blog post again.I was overwhelmed by the messages, emails & comments you all sent me. Most of you started out by saying "I know I'm probably just another person reaching out to you...", but I am here to tell you that I read every single thing you sent. Every kind word meant more than you will ever know. I had no idea what Wifessionals had provided to so many of you - information, connections to other women, encouragement...
I have always said that I love the community I was introduced to through starting my blog. Over the past few weeks, that is the biggest thing that I missed. I missed talking to my friends, sharing parts of my life and getting to connect with other ladies and moms on a daily basis. I love that my blog has given me a place to ask questions, get answers, and to find out that in so many situations I'm "not alone".
I needed this time away to be with my family. We are still struggling to adapt to our current circumstances and it was important for me to spend all of my free time focusing on settling into Ryan's mom's house.
When I initially realized that some women were being cruel and saying unkind things about Rilynn and also judging my family's situation surrounding Ryan's unemployment, I just shut down. I was incredibly stressed with everything going on and I couldn't take my blog turning into something negative on top of that. I also started feeling guilt, as it made me question if I should have ever posted things about Rilynn on my blog in the first place. I know you make mistakes as a parent and I needed to decide whether or not I was comfortable sharing my family and our personal life publicly in the future.
In one of the messages I received, someone directed me to a post. There were two sentences that repeated through my mind over and over again. "But when you can find confidence in your path & purpose, silly people & things will stop deterring you. They're not worth giving up for."
I let the negativity from a handful of people get under my skin. As easy as it is to say "don't care about what other people think", it's really difficult to honestly and truly not listen or care. So I spent the past month thinking about what my path & purpose is for my blog...and now that I have discovered it and believe it in my heart, I can be confident in it moving forward.
I feel blessed to be able to reach so many women through this blog. In between this and my social media, I get to interact with thousands of girls every week. I want to use this platform I have been given to encourage & bless people in any way that I can. This is the biggest goal I have for Wifessionals. Because of this, I will be continuing with the Cara Box Exchange and will also be opening my blog up every Friday for other women to share some of the toughest things they have gone through in their lives. At my lowest points, the most comforting thing has been connecting with others who understand where I am, understand my pain & can encourage me through whatever I am experiencing. I want women to pour their hearts out and for other ladies to stumble across these stories and realize they aren't alone - someone else has been there. I am so excited to start this series this Friday. I will also be posting a detailed blog post about Cara Box and some of the changes for the future.
As far as my family goes, I want to be open about what is going on with our life. I know that is what connects us bloggers together and I think it's important to show the ups and downs of real life. I will still share Rilynn on the blog here and there, but some of her more personal posts will only be sent to our close friends and family. I am planning to post later this week about what has been going on in our life the past few weeks, now that we are officially living with Ryan's mom in New Jersey.
Lastly, I am still planning to work with small businesses in the future, as the projects I have done in the past surrounding them have been some of my favorites. I love supporting other women and moms who are trying to make a living or share their creativity with others. I can especially appreciate the ladies who's shops are a big part of their family's income. I have taken various sponsored posts over the past year and will continue to do so if the opportunity arrises. If I am able to contribute to my family's income in any way, I am at a spot in which I need to be grateful and take advantage of this. I know some readers will automatically skip over a post if they realize it is sponsored, and that's ok, but I try to only take posts that I still feel are relevant and are something my readers would appreciate. I wanted to mention this, as I have never faulted or looked down on anyone for taking a sponsored post. If I don't want to read something, I won't. But like my friend Samantha posted, you never really know a person's personal reasons for taking a post - and now I understand that more than ever. As always, my sponsored posts will never have an overwhelming presence on the blog, and I will always counter these posts with personal ones.
Thank you again sweet friends for all of the blessings, prayers, and encouragement you passed on to me over the last month. YOU are the reason I want to keep blogging and it is you who helped me find my confidence in Wifessionals. I missed you all so very much, and I can't wait to catch up with you this week.And for any of you who experience negativity or discouragement in your own lives, whether it be through your blog or personal life, I want to leave you with this quote.
Although I haven't been the best at this in the past, I have committed to this in the future: I don't care what anyone negative has to say about me and you shouldn't either. Do not sit and dwell on anything a mean person may say or write. Instead, avoid those people, don't give them a single thought. In 2014 and moving forward - I don't plan to think about them at all. Be confident in your path and purpose.
