The Story of Many Lives

There’s this beautiful old house out in the woods near my home.
It looks like a set from a movie. It’s amazing and really doesn’t even look like real life.
The wood is weathered just perfectly to where it looks almost like it's a painting.

The closer you get the more you see that you don’t want to go in. You know that if you go in, there’s a chance that you'll fall through the rotten floor to the cellar. That doesn’t seem to matter though when you’re right there looking at it. It’s so beautiful and feels as though it’s calling you to explore. It’s not very big and you know that the pleasure won’t last long because it’s empty inside.

There's no sign of life there, in fact there's a cow skeleton in the cellar that you can see through the rotten boards. I promise you, it didn't go there planning to die.

Maybe you think it's okay just to step inside, after all, it's not that big. But once you're in it you'll walk around because that's just how it works. Sooner or later, you'll fall through that floor even if all you thought you were going to do was explore. Once you're down there the only way out is for someone from outside of the cellar to help you.

If you’ve fallen through the floor. Don’t wait to call for help because the longer you wait the more used to it you become and you don’t notice that you have no food or water. You become okay with it when really, it's killing you.  

Don’t go near that house no matter how small it may seem. Listen to me, if you’re already there, if you’ve already fallen in,  I’m here to tell you that it’s not to late. Yell for help while you still have the breath to. A semicolon is placed in your life the very moment that you say: I can't get out alone; I need help. 

If you've gotten out of the house. Break the Silence of your story because the possibilities are great that there are people out there that are in the very same house you were in. They have so much fear they can't call for help because they know that they should've never gone near the house in the first place. They're scared of judgment because you've covered up your tracks so well that they think they're the only one.

Maybe you came out of the house before you fell through. But every time you look at it you want to go back. Don't think that it being something not very big makes it okay to do.
Listen, it hasn't changed, it still looks beautiful from the outside but still has the power to kill you. To kill the family you have. To kill the church you pastor. To kill the impact that you're going to make.

This was not just a story about an old house... It's the story of many lives.
Maybe it's your story.
Maybe right now you're just looking. Stop looking and run as fast and as far away from it as you can. 
Maybe you're in the house, walking around... Listen to me, no matter what your house is, Get. Out. Of. It. Now.

And maybe, you were just looking, you thought: it's not that big. But you stepped in just to look around... But now you're in the cellar and see no way out. You try to pull yourself out but the rocks from the foundation start falling every time you reach up and try to get out. Now you're scared that the whole building will fall in on you if you make one more move to get out of the cellar you've found yourself in. You think you're the only one so you won't yell for help....

ThreeLife Church has some courageous and brave people that are standing up saying, not in our lifetime will we leave you in the "cellar" to make ourselves look better. This series Break The Silence will change your life forever no matter where you're at in life. I challenge you to take the time to listen to these messages and reach out for help if you're in the house before you reach the seemingly hopeless cellar. If you're in the cellar, there is a way out even though you can't see above the falling rocks, there are people on the outside that if you call or even whisper for help they will come running and pull you out before it all falls in. Where there's life, there's hope. And if you've been there but covered up your tracks, I ask you to remember this: When you break the silence of your story it will tie you to someone in your world that wanted to quit before they heard what you had to say.



Break The Silence

Quotes

Hey Amazing People!

It's starting to feel like spring and I'm lovin' it so much! My windows are open and I've been taking walks with my little cousins every afternoon. It's simply beautiful out.

I've had the very best few weeks of my life this last month and hopefully I'll find time to write all about it... But for now I just wanted to say hey and share some quotes with y'all that I love.

Have an Amazing weekend!

 

 

 

Break The Silence Of Your Story

I’ve always wanted to try to be everyone’s “Sunshine Girl” and I’ve thought up until now that would mean that I couldn’t be real about my pain and my story.

But I’m learning there are people out there who need to know they’re not the only one that isn't as strong as they’d like to be.

You see, the fact is this, it doesn’t make me any stronger if I don't share my pain and weakness with y’all... And since my heart is to be a hope giver I'm going to do this even though it's very hard for me.
I know that there are so many people that are going through things behind the scenes....
I promise you, you’re not the only one.

Listen y’all, a lot of my friends didn't even know I was sick for several years simply because I hate sympathy and more then anything I wanted to be strong and I didn't want anyone to ever see me as weak or "the sick one".

I've been trying to write this post for a few days (and I've thought about it for months) because it's really hard for me to write about this but I've known for a long time that God gave me my story to encourage others...
But it's still super hard to write about. (I cry every time I read the book When Life Hands You Lymes that my sister, Lydia is writing.)

Last night Pastor Josh put on his Twitter:
"When you break the silence of your story it will tie you to someone in your world that wanted to quit before they heard what you had to say."

So I'm here to say,  keep going, you're going to get through this.
Listen to me, no matter how dark it is right now... The sun always comes out after a storm.
I know that some storms can be so super stinkin' long, but listen to me, the sun WILL come out.  I believe in you and know you can get through this.
Remember this, Where there's life, there's hope.

In April of last year (2014) 6 months after I was told I was Lyme free... I started feeling sickish again, we were traveling so I thought I was just worn out from everything.
But by July I was feeling so sick that I had to go another doctor only to find out that my Lyme was indeed back and that I had to go back on all kinds of medicines that I had thought were out of my life forever.

August, September, October, November and the beginning of December were the worst months I'd had in a long time. Many, many days I was too weak to get out of bed until around 2:00 or so in the afternoon...
So many times I would go downstairs and then was too weak to walk up to my room so I would sit on the floor and pull myself up the steps, sometimes I couldn't even do that so I'd just sleep on the couch.

I'm still not as strong or energized as I will be soon:) but these last almost 7 weeks have been the best of my life! I never ever remember feeling this good. I'm learning what well feels like, and may I just say, WELL FEELS AMAZING!!!

So, I’m about to share something with y’all that I wrote back at the beginning of December of 2014 (two months ago). Looking back and seeing how horrible I was feeling compared to now is just incredible to me and gives me hope everyday to keep going. Where there's life, there's hope.

"Exhaustion.
Why is it such a familiar word to me? I know it all too well for only being 17.
Unless someone has truly experienced extreme exhaustion, there's no way to fully understand how it feels.

My brain feels bruised and every sound I hear or every word someone speaks seems like a million minutes long.

Someone excitedly talks about what they see outside. I want to see it so I try to open my eyes but nothing happens. My eyelids are heavy as bricks. My eyes ache and are sore. 

I want so much for the noise to stop. But I can't say anything because I'm too weak to open my mouth.

The best way to escape all this noise is to leave the room.
Why haven't I thought of this before?
But as I go to stand up, I can't remember how to move my legs. MOVE LEGS! I want yell, but people think I'm stronger than that so I just sit back and act like I never wanted to get up in the first place."

Happy Birthday

Today was a very special day. My Pastor from ThreeLife church in Georgia turned 33!
If you ask me, I think that’s kinda like a golden birthday for him considering the fact that he pastors
3Life church.

I’m so thankful to be a part of this church even though I live so far away. Listening to messages on the ThreeLife app has helped me through many things and is an encouragement to me every single day.

Happy Birthday Pastor Josh!

Helping People

Thank you Hunter for being the awesome person that you are. You’re gonna be a great doctor. 
Keep up the great work and don’t lose sight of your dreams.

“My dream is to be a doctor. It’s good money and I want to be able to help people.

I going for my pre-med. I have 7 or 8 years until I’ll actually be a doctor.

I’m from Connecticut and I’d like to be a doctor there or Massachusetts.
I might even go overseas to Germany or England.”

~Hunter (CT)

Brad

Thank you so very much Brad for sharing your story. You are such a great inspiration. God has some huge plans for your life. Keep being who God has called you to be.

“I was put in foster care at age 3.
I was in many foster homes all my life and then I was adopted at age 16.

At 15 I got really sick and spent a lot of time in the hospital. That was pretty hard because I was just getting to know a new family and they never really knew if I was just faking it or if I was really sick.

After a while I was diagnosed with lupus. I went through nine months of chemo.
As a result of the chemo, my lupus is in remission and I’m doing pretty good.

What I've learned most is just to live a life that I'm proud of and that God's proud of.

Someday I want to adopt a kid.”
~ Brad (OH)

Bulgaria

The other day we went to Golden Corral with my Grandma and I got to meet Mr. Emil who is simply amazing. He’s so bright and cheerful and just made us all smile! Thank you Mr. Emil for being who you are.

“The happiest day of my life was when my daughter, Victoria was born 4 years ago.

I love to play with her. She rides her bike and jumps all around and makes a mess and drives me nuts! But I love her so much.

Whenever I'm with my daughter I'm having a great time.”

~Mr. Emil (Bulgaria)

Miracle

Wow. What an amazing story Mr. Withrow has. I’m so thankful to know him. He shines the love of God so brightly and is such an encourager! Doctors said he’d never walk again. But he overcame that and is a walking miracle today. Thank you Mr. Withrow for being the person that God has called you to be.

“I was an athlete. I thought I'd be in pro-football.

When I was 20 I had a car accident that took my life.
I was actually pronounced dead and was brought back to life. 

I was in the hospital for 3 months.
I had such injuries I knew pretty much right away that I'd never play again.

There were 2 others in the car and we all survived but were pretty messed up.
I still keep in contact with both of them, we’re good friends.

I was brought up with a church background and in a godly home but I got away from that and being an athlete was my idol.

Even though I still love sports it doesn't consume me anymore and I now put God first.”

~Mr. Withrow (OH)

Laken

This girl is gonna move mountains. I’m so honored to be able to call her my friend. What a great leader she is becoming. Love ya Laken.

“In seventh grade my youth group went to camp together. There was a worship band there and I remember everybody went up front and everyone was on their knees crying and praying because everyone could just feel the presence of God. That was when I asked Jesus into my heart.

Having God in my life has change my perspective in so many ways. Instead of always trying to please people, I work on pleasing God and that makes life a lot easier then always trying to be like everyone else and making them happy.” ~ Laken (OH)

Renee

Thank you Renee for letting me make this world better by sharing some of your dreams with everyone. I'm going to come visit you when you live on a beautiful island someday. Thanks for being who you are!

“Growing up I wanted to own my own restaurant but after watching shows on TV, I decided I didn’t want to after all.

If I could have any wish come true it would be to move to the islands - where it’s warm all year around.

I’ve learned over time that the best thing is to take things as they come day-by-day.”
 ~Renee (OH)

It's Not About Me

 Thank you so much Jeremiah for letting me share some of your amazing life with the world. You are doing amazing things and I'm so grateful for the heart you have to love God and share His love with the world. Thank you.

“When I was younger I always wanted to be a computer programmer, and that’s what I do now.”

Question:
“If you could go back in time and tell yourself something when you were younger, what would it be?”

“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have listened back then.
But if I could go back and change something: I would have given my life to God a lot sooner then I did.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is: it’s not about me.”

~Jeremiah (OH)

Golden Nuggets

Hey everyone!
Check out DonHoweSuccess.com for daily wisdom on how to become the best you can be. I am so super excited about this and I hope y'all will take just 3 minutes to watch this Golden Nugget by my Dad!

Happiest Day Of My Life

 I met an amazing gentlemen in the airport the other day and he shared his story with me and said I could share it with y'all. What an inspiration he is to so many. AND, he's from Georgia which is always a plus;)

“The happiest day of my life was in 1970 when I received Christ in my life on the battlefields of Vietnam.
It gave me perspective, I understood what my mission was.

I was just getting out of high school and I didn't know what direction I was supposed to take.
When the Lord put His hand on my life I knew exactly where I needed to go to college.

I became a chaplain and served in the military as one for 32 years and taught many others about Christ.

Then I built a church in Hinesville, Georgia. The majority of my congregation are soldiers.” 

Lisa

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned in life is to listen.

As a child I dreamed of being a teacher and when I grew up,
even though I was never the popular one in school, this dream came true and I taught for 13 years.

The person I look up to most is my Pastor’s wife, Cassandra De Leon.
I look up to her because of the way she portrays Christ!

My greatest wish is to be a foster parent. I'm working on becoming one right now.”

 ~ Lisa (OH)

Grandpa & Grandma

“I wish I got to meet my Grandpa and Grandma Liston. I would hug and squeeze them and tell them that I love them so much. Everyone in my family met them but I never did. One day when I get to heaven I’ll get to see them for the very first time.” ~ Abbie (OH)

 

High School

If you could go back in time and tell yourself something when you were in high school, what would it be?

“To look at the big picture. Yeah it mattered at the time, but looking back it really didn’t matter who my friends were, what I wore to school, or if my hair was done just right. Nobody remembers that stuff. When you get into college it’s a whole new world of people. So I think I would’ve told myself:
Don’t stress to be at the “top of the totem pole”. I don’t know if I would have followed my advice, but if I had, then I don’t think high school would have been such a stress.” ~Nicole (OH)

Laugh!

Remember the saying “A laugh a day keeps the doctor away.” - Okay, okay it’s possible that I just made that up... But it sounds good, right?

I am here right now to hopefully give you a big smile on your face and make your day a lot brighter then it would be if you didn't stop by to read these jokes:).

(Just so you know, I wrote this late last night. So things that wouldn’t normally be funny to me were making me laugh super hard! So, if you don’t find these jokes funny, come back tonight when you’re tired and read them again... If they still aren’t funny to you then you need to learn to find joy in the simple things of life.)

Are you ready for some amazing jokes? Here we go:).

What did the football coach say to the broken vending machine?
-Give me my quarterback!

What time did the man go to the dentist?
-Tooth hurty.

What did Cinderella say when her photos weren't ready?
-Some day my prints will come.

What did the beach say as the tide came in?
-It waved and said: Long time, no sea.

When is a car not a car?
-When it turns into a garage.

Why do elephants have trunks?
-Because they would look silly with glove compartments.

What did one plate say to the other plate?
-Lunch is on me.

How do you make antifreeze?
-You steal her blanket.

How did cows feel when the branding iron was invented?
-They were impressed.

 Smile. Be Happy. Enjoy Life. Have a GREAT day and be the reason that someone else smiles today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow. I have so, so incredibly much to be thankful for. Since I couldn’t write down all that I’m thankful for even if I had all day,  I’ve decided to just write down 33 things because three is a wonderful number.

(In no particular order)

I’m thankful for...

1. God, and all that He has taught me this year.
2. My family which is full of unconditional love.
3. ThreeLife Church and all my amazing friends that I get to call my family.
4. Friends, both near and far away.
5. My bright room. (It’s hard to be sad in such a happy room!)

6. Family trips, family meals, family movie nights, and family meetings.
7. All you awesome people that read my blog, (and all those who have yet to be converted.)
8. Texting and emailing.
9. Writing cards.
10. Singing with my cousin/best friend and getting to see her every day. Just amazing.

11. Reading Zig Ziglar books.
12. My awesome prayer warrior parents who pray for me every day.
13. Jokes that make me laugh more than they should. (Why did the chicken cross the road? - To get to the other side. Hahahaha that one just kills me every time.)
14. My Thankful Wall in my room.
15. The Rhye family: Pastor Josh, Miss Amanda, Khyler and little Miss Pretty Flower, who will grace the world with her presence very soon.

16. My ThreeLife T-shirts that make me so happy every time I wear them.
17. The fact that every persons’ story matters. 
18. Hugs from my little cousins.
19. Sisters who encourage me.
20. Brothers who eat lots of food.

21. Colorful pillows, curtains, and paintings.
22. Doctors with a sense of humor (they said I should be well by now.) {Followed by this dialogue: “Hahahaha. That’s a good one.” “If you have a sick sense of humor.” get it?}
23. Having my cousins live right next door. Ahhh, truly a dream come true.
24. Brightly colored laundry detergent dispensers. Thank you to whoever decided that laundry detergent dispenser should be bright and happy.

25. Helen Keller, and how she inspires me with her words.
26. Howe Insurance Services, and the great leaders by whom I’m surrounded.
27. The experience of being stuck in an elevator with my older brother Logan! (Getting stuck on an elevator is just funny on so many levels. We were stuck 45 minutes, but we didn’t let it get us down. Sorry, I was going to make a funny pun about the elevator, I just haven’t come up with any yet.)

28. Having the opportunity to hear Rory Vaden speak.
29. Pumpkin Spice Candles.
30. Baking pumpkin cookies, and Andes mint chocolate cookies (to. die. for.)
31. My sister who just baked 8. Yes, 8, beautiful pies.
32. Sparkles on everything!
33. My ThreeLife friends flying up from Georgia to surprise me.

Action Kids' Club

Hey Everyone! Lydia Howe here from over at Noveltea. Johanna asked me to do a guest post so I could tell y'all about my new book that was just released on November 10th! So, without further ado, here it is:

Action Kids’ Club Back Cover Blurb:
Twelve-year-old Olivia Hall’s dream of a friends' club ends when she finds out her family is moving. Her parents assure her it's a good thing, opening a new world of possibilities for the Halls. But going from ‘miss popular’ to ‘the new girl’ won’t be easy, and Olivia is not convinced.

Soon she begins to realize that although her life has suddenly changed, there's plenty of adventure to keep her on her toes. From making new friends at Forward Focus, to hanging out at the world-renowned Kids Zone, to meeting the curious head chef, she discovers that there's much more to life - and her new surroundings - than she ever imagined. How will she make the most of these new opportunities? Or will she let them slip away?

You can find out more about the book by visiting my blog! Also check out this post for your chance to win a $50 Amazon giftcard!  

Find Action Kids' Club here (e-version) and here (paperback)!

Thank you so much, Johanna, for hosting me on Semicolon today!  

Gratitude

With Thanksgiving coming up I’ve been thinking about the story in Luke 17:12-19.
Jesus was going into a village, and ten men who had leprosy met Him, and, to make a long story short, Jesus healed them.

This is the part that has always really bothered me and I’ve really been thinking about recently. Only one of them, when he saw he was healed, went back and thanked Jesus.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this one?"

For real? Only one out of ten came back to say Thank You. That just kinda makes me sick.

Come on people, let's be the ones that go out of our way to say thank you. It doesn’t even have to be a big thing to be thankful for it. It can be as little as telling the waitress at a restaurant: Thank you so much for your work!

I want to give y’all a challenge because of Thanksgiving this month. My challenge for you is: Take a few minutes and write a card to someone telling them Thank You.

It can be someone at school that you’ve noticed that they’re always smiling. You can write them a card to thank them for being a bright person that is full of sunshine.

I really enjoy writing cards. But as I was reading the story in Luke and was so upset that those nine didn’t come back to say thank you I realized that I’ve been to tons of doctors but I’ve only once sent a thank you card. So I got out a card and started to write to one of the doctors that I’ve been to in the past.

I had such a hard time finding things to thank her for. But guess what? I did. It took time but the more I thought about it the more I realized that I could thank her for a lot of stuff. You know, she didn’t have to be a doctor. Yes, she got payed for it, but she also had to work with sick people and probably a lot of the times they were grumpy. By the time I was done writing to her I felt a great level of respect for her and was also so thankful that I was not in her place.

So, all that to say. You don’t have to write to someone you like. Write to an enemy, that person that annoys the life out of you. By the time you’re done I bet you’ll have a lot of things that you’re thankful for about that person.

You know, cards can make a big difference in someones life when they get it! Like I wrote in the “About me” page. It was a simple card from my friend Cheryl that changed my life forever. You never know when someone needs a card and how much good it will do to simply tell them that you’re thinking of them.

Last week my Grandma sent me this card. It didn’t say very much but it came at just the right
time and completely made my day and had me smiling every time I thought of it!

 I love writing to sick people and then imagining how happy they are when they get a hand written card in the mail. Sometimes my cards are as simple as saying: I thought you could use a little extra sunshine today!  Here are the cards that I sent this week to sick people that I don’t know.

 Go check out the Thankful Wall page and write what your thankful for.

Freedom

“It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter


Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet


Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer


Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer


Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician


Who has given us the right to vote.”
~Charles Michael Province, U.S. Army~

 

“There is no greater love then to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”

 John 15:13 (NLT)

Thank you to all of the men and women who have served our Country

 and to those who are serving today.

Am I The Only One?

Am I the only one? Has anyone else ever felt fear? 
Not just any fear, but a seemingly never ending fear. 
The kind of fear that, in the moment, feels like fear is the only thing you'll ever know.

****
                                                                                  
You thought you could outrun it, but you were wrong every time. It's now what controls you. 
You almost respect it. You listen to it and obey it. It's your gauge that tells you what's impossible. 
It holds you so tightly you can't even scream for help anymore.

It's like a bungee cord how it pulls you back and slaps you in the face every time you reach out for one of your dreams. 
It says: Why did you even try? I've told you you're a loser. 
It tells you: Hope’s a fake, but assures you that pain is real.

It has to have your attention; without your attention it will die. 
That's why it's so demanding and why it screams so loudly. 
It's behind your insecurity, it's the thing that asks you every night: Why God would love you? 
It's the thing that tells you over and over again what you did wrong and why you can never change.

It tells you you'll trip if you take that first step. 
I took that first step, I didn't trip, it was all a lie. 
I stopped giving fear my attention. It has now died.  
Am I the only one?

You've Got My Name Wrong

“You've got my name wrong.”

Isn't it awkward when someone calls you someone else's name. It's not so bad the first time or even the second, but by the third time you're starting to think: Maybe they really don't know that's not my name. We never think to ourselves: Wait. Maybe I'm the one that doesn't know my name. Maybe I was wrong.

Something that’s interesting to me is that so often when someone calls us stupid or a loser instead of thinking: That's not my name. Obviously they don't know me well enough if they're calling me by the wrong name. But no. So many time we think: Maybe they're right.

That is the craziest thing to me. Why would we ever let someone calling us by the wrong name change the way that we look at ourselves? If someone’s called you a loser or said that you’re not good enough then they obviously don’t know you well enough.

You are a winner. Your life matters. Next time someone calls you a loser just realize that they don’t know you well enough and they’re the one that’s missing out ;)

Page 1 of 1

I was sitting here getting ready to write when I noticed that at the bottom of this page in small letters it says: Page 1 of 1. I started thinking about it and how true to life that is.

Everything that we want to be remembered for has to fit on one page, so to speak.

One of my favorite quotes is: “Live twice the first time.” Meaning, instead of waiting until the end of my life and then looking back saying, If I could live my life over again, I would... I want to be the person who looks back and says: I loved people. I shared my faith. I lived what I spoke. I encouraged every person I met. I gave hope to the hopeless. I saw people’s potential not their past. I lived the way I want to be remembered.

Shortly after I heard that quote I took a day by myself to write down things that I wanted to be remembered for, such as encouraging people. This year I decided to ask great leaders what they wish that they had known/started doing at my age.

I knew that if I asked enough great leaders, no matter how busy they were then I would at least get a few to give me words of wisdom. Here’s the first letter I got back. Since it’s such great advice I wanted to share it with you. It’s from Dr. John D. Hall.

One of my favorite things to do, and something I want to be remembered for, is being thankful! I have alarms set throughout the day to remind me to be thankful. One of them is at 3:33 and it comes up and says: God gave me another 3:33!  I love the number 3 because of ThreeLife Church. Today was extra special because it’s the 3rd! You know what’s cool about setting reminders to be thankful? I have them set to come on every day, so no matter how my day’s going, I am reminded that there’s always something to be thankful for! I’m also super thankful for these amazing and encouraging difference makers from ThreeLife. I smile every time I see my background!

Encouragement

Hey Amazing People!

My goal with starting this blog is to encourage you to be the best that you can be and to inspire you to reach out and go after your dreams! 

So, I should probably start out by telling you a little about myself, like that my name is Johanna and the fact that I say awesome way too much. I say awesome as much as the average teenager says “like” which is a lot! Something else you should probably know is that I am a teenager ;) 

Enough about myself, I want you to understand that no matter what anyone has told you, your life matters and you CAN make a difference. I truly believe that you can change the world, and I am here to cheer you on! 

I have something to tell you: You were born to shine. Did you know that every move you make matters? Hard to believe, I know, but it’s the truth. Do you know that a butterfly can flap it’s wings once and set molecules of air in motion, which will move other molecules of air, in turn moving more molecules of air - eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet. Crazy to think about... 

You know, if a flap of a butterfly’s wings is capable of starting a hurricane, think of the difference that our words make... I want to be someone who encourages you with the words I speak (or should I say write). I plan to be that cheerleader that says: “YOU GO! I believe in you even when no one else does! You are a winner!!” 

Here’s one of my very favorite quotes: “Where there’s life, there’s hope.”  No matter how helpless life seems right now, I want you to know that I believe in you, you are more than what they’ve said you are. You are a winner and I want you to know that no matter how messy your life may be, there IS hope. Keep your head up because the sun is coming out!