New beginnings

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my divorce. The infamous ‘first year’ is finally over.  As I fell asleep last night, I listened to the rain and felt it washing away all the bad that has happened in the past, making way for a fresh start when the morning would come.  I remember a year ago on the same night, it was a drenching rain as well and I knew it was washing away what had came before to prepare a fresh start to my new life.

Today is the first day of my new beginning. I don’t know where to begin to recount the stories and lessons of what transpired in the infamous ‘first year’ but I do know that I survived and came out stronger.  And that is something that no one will ever be able to touch and I will be forever thankful for.  As I stand today, I do not regret anything that has happened. Not my marriage, as without it I wouldn’t be the person I am today - more knowledgeable, wiser, and most importantly a mother to Grace.  Not my divorce, as the marriage was never a fit and I find it to be divine intervention that it ended right after Grace was born and did not drag on a moment longer.  Not my fight to get back on my feet, as that brought resiliency that will carry me through good times and bad for the rest of my life.

I’m not the only one with a new beginning this week.  Two of my good friends from work were laid off this week. It came out of nowhere and was a total shock to them, to me, to our team.  The reasoning in unclear and we are all left trying to make sense of something that seems so unfair. But one thing is for sure, for those two women, they are getting a new beginning. They are leaving an environment that was increasingly stressful and get to redefine who they are in terms of career and goals.  While I can’t pretend to know the hurt and betrayal they likely feel from this awful departure, I do know the strength that comes from surviving and the hope that comes with a new beginning.