Love Finds You

On this day 25 years ago I got engaged, it was a happy festive moment in my life. That next year, it fell apart, the relationship ended and the engagement was off, this was one of my falling down moments in life, when I followed my gut but it hurt, it hurt so very bad. That year after relationship heart ache I lost my Dad unexpectedly, my world literally came crashing down. I had to learn to pick myself back up, and put one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. How would I ever be in another relationship, I did not want that hurt or pain again, and how could I ever breathe, I missed my Dad so much I can still feel that pain.

The story here is that love prevailed. My story did not turn out how I thought it would or should go--God had other plans.

I don't understand why my Dad left this earth at too young of an age, those are questions we will never understand. It has influenced my life, and shaped who I am. I learned to appreciate life even more, and I also learned to support others and understand loss in a way that you only understand by going through it. I learned how strong I really was, and I watched my Mom lead us through grief with grace, grit and resilience in a way that to this day, blows my mind. The vulnerability in these life situations were raw and full of emotion. So while I lost the most important man in my life (my Dad) and parted ways with another great man, I opened up space for what I least expected, my life would begin an entirely new chapter that I never expected, planned or prepared for. A year later, a blind date turned in to a romance that turned into another engagement which turned into a marriage, which turned into a family and answered prayers and dreams of being a wife, and being a mom, and having a home, and living in a community that I loved. I wanted all of this but did not plan it the way it happened, this was God's work (oh, and I think my Dad George might have had something to do with it too).

If you are reading this and the wheels are coming off the bus (or you know someone who is in this situation), remember, it might be the wrong bus, it most likely is a temporary situation and the road ahead will twist and turn, and eventually lead to brighter days, and perhaps a different co-pilot. Any time I fall down (which I continue to do in life and at various stages), I know how to get back up, I know that God has me, and I know that faith is bigger than any fear, and love is bigger than any other emotion and that hope is always in my heart.

The lesson here is that your story is still unwritten. Walk in faith, don't look back, just follow your gut, always trust your intuition and be open to new possibilities. Life is both beautiful and brutal and we need to embrace it all. In the end, love will lead the way! XO #livinghipp #leadwithlove

So here I am, standing in my front yard leaning on my "white picket fence" looking down the road. My comfortable home, my beautiful family, on the North Shore of Massachusetts. You never know where your life is going to take you and what road you will end of going down--what I do know, is that God can only create what is mean't for you when you let go of what is not mean't for you. It hurts, it's hard, but when all is said and done, it is going to be okay. I am blessed, an amazing man that loves me and is the best Dad, 3 amazing kids that we could not be any more proud of, and a life filled with great people--I am humbled and grateful. Every day is not easy, in fact, there are days and challenges on this road I still travel. These speed bumps along the way remind us to slow down, pay attention and look for the signs that guide us in the right direction.

I told my husband Charlie Guyer this week that there is no other person on this planet that I can rely on and that has taken better care of me (exception of my parents) than him. He is my person and our kids are my people. I found love, in the end, love found me. XO