The other day, I dreamt of God above – He smiled and said: ‘don’t worry, your faith is strong; you know you have been here before. Just gaze upon my face and everything shall be alright.’ I smiled at HIM and softly uttered a broken Hallelujah! – Alleluia. Alleluia
Although, my faith IS strong and has grown immensely over the last decade somedays it seems that the dark clouds in life want to hang on just a bit longer than usual putting all our beliefs to the test.
This seems to be the case for me over the last month.
So, I had to remind myself of how far I have come and all the challenges I have endured in the past which have only served to make me stronger. I like to think of the peaks and valleys we have gone through in our life as a mechanism to help us get through things faster and with greater ease. (Just like the brain network is connected via myelinated sheaths which help disseminate information quicker from one area to another- if we would interrupt the myelin, information would surely get delayed and we might even find ourselves stuck. Such are our past experiences, the more we have overcome the greater ease we have of moving forward…)
I have learned that God is strongest when I am weak.
I have learned that I am much stronger than I once thought and much more resilient than I ever gave myself credit for. I thought I would never survive the first diagnosis of a chronic illness, nor giving up my practice. Yet, here I stand …
Despite years of trying to hide my physical flaws, I have learned to embrace those blemishes, scars, and all. I have learned to focus on my most attractive features which are my smile and my “Spanish” eyes.
I have learned to love myself strengths and weaknesses. After all beauty begins when we first decide to love ourselves. At times, we must learn to turn our weaknesses into strengths. For instance, once upon a time I was extremely shy and afraid of speaking in public (hard to believe I know). I would become paralyzed with fear of being judged. These days however, I embrace it fully. Public speaking has been a source of great joy in my life as I seem to have become the voice for women with Parkinson’s disease and other chronic illnesses.
I have learned that we all have the inner fortitude to do what you could not do before- I am learning to wait in silence and developing beaucoup patience!
I have learned that you will feel what you did not before- sympathy, empathy, kindness, love, gratitude…
I have become knowledgeable on things I never knew.
I have also learned that inner beauty never fades.
I love being a mom.
I am creative after all.
I am a trendsetter and fashionista at heart.
I am excited about living life to the fullest.
I cherish my time with my girlfriends.
Beauty and inspiration come from places we least expect.
All women are strong beautiful and able and we were fiercely made for a time such as this.
So go ahead find your passion and bring out your inner beauty by discovering new horizons and gifts within yourself. Despite what you may be facing today- you are not alone, you are loved, and this too shall pass! You just have to hold on long enough and keep the faith.
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all rights reserved by Maria De Leon