~~You are enough.~~ Unknown
Ever feel overwhelmed? Tired? Worn out?
How about hurt? Emotions raw? Ccrumbling self-esteem? Devastating loss?
We aren't promised a life of sweet grace, are we? Not when we quit smoking. Not when we do the right thing. Not even when we manage to smile through the tears.
And, finally, just when you think things can't get any worse, you hear a whisper. "You are enough."
And though you try to ignore it, you hear it again, close to your ear. "You are enough."
At first you don't understand. Enough? You maybe have had enough, but you ARE enough? So you dismiss the whisper simply because it doesn't make sense and you need to concentrate on fixing....everything. Fixing your bruised heart. Fixing your broken life. Fixing the world.
You grow more tired trying to hold it all together. And you wish you were like that one person who never seems to have any problems. The one that bubbles with happiness, has a gorgeous long term quit going strong, and everyone adores her.
"You are enough." The thought creeps through your mind, over and over. And, slowly, it dawns on you that you ARE enough. You do not deserve the hurts, the ills, the ugliness life has thrown at you. And you begin to realize that not only do you not deserve those negatives, but you deserve instead....kindness. Warmth. Acceptance. Love.
And rather than wait for the world to come to its senses, you stop trying to fix life and decide instead to live it. You are enough. Bruised heart? Bruises heal and the heart still beats. Broken life? You know better. Bad days do not equal a bad life. Harsh world? You bring to it gentleness and grace.
You are enough, my friends. You don't have to be brilliant. You don't have to be stunningly beautiful. You don't have to be filthy rich. You don't have to be anything but who you are because you are enough.
And as you look in the mirror at the gorgeous person you are, the tears start. You cry for all the wasted time trying to fix a you that was never broken. And you cry for the you that is finally taking shape after years of hiding in the shadows. The you that has finally broken free. Healing tears. Happy tears.
I can agree that the world isn't always pleasant. I can agree that sometimes we are devastated by loss or defeat. But I will never agree that you deserve any of that. And I will never agree that you need to change in any way. You are enough.
Keep your quit, quitters. You deserve it. You earned it. And it looks lovely on you.
Sheri
