I Hope You Stand

There will be a time when the rug gets yanked out from underneath you, and the sky comes crashing down around you, and a tiny elephant takes residence upon your chest, making it hard to breathe.

I say this not to be dramatic.

I say this to remind you that you are not alone.

That this can happen to the best of us, at the best of times. In an instant life can change. In an instant, your world can crash. In an instant, you can fall. In an instant, you can forget what it’s like to breathe without pain, without fear, without sadness, without hurt.

In an instant.

I hope you let yourself feel the pain. I hope you let it break you, and burn you, and twist you. I hope you can feel the cracks in your heart and in your spirit.

And then I hope you get back up.

I hope you grab the pieces of your heart and spirit from off the floor and make something new.

I hope you stand. I hope you stand because you know that your time is not up yet. The world still needs you in it — it needs your heart, your smile, your love, your dancing spirit. It needs your laughter, your wisdom, your advice. It needs how you love people. It needs how good you are to people. Too many people on this planet would miss you if you did not get back up.

I hope you stand because you know that your kids need you. You are their anchor, their compass, their north star. You are the one who holds them up — because of you, they know how to love. Because of you, they are not afraid to live. You need to stand so that they are not afraid. You need to stand so that they have a hand to hold.

I hope you stand with the knowledge that you are capable of building anew. I hope you know that you will be able to start again. I hope you know that even if you have to claw yourself out of your waking nightmare, you will be able to do it.

I hope you know that your heart is bigger than you think it is, that your soul is stronger than you give it credit for and that there is still so much life within you.

I hope you stand.