Have you watched "This is Us"? I'm only 5 seasons late to the show but I'm hooked!

Thirty seconds into season one, episode one, I knew there was a purpose. I needed to watch this show, period. Simply being the Pearson's 36th birthday and me turning 36, was like, ok here comes a life lesson. Adopted son finds his biological father and comes to find out his adoptive mother lied about his whereabouts his entire life...what?! This show hits so many key points in my life. I feel seen. I feel heard. Crap, I'm seriously questioning if these writers know me personally.

On the surface, there's no real point in me sharing any of this. It's just a show. I know.

Think beyond the obvious though. As fictional as these characters are, their lives and dilemmas are real. Addiction, eating disorders, death, race, adoption, abandonment...that's real stuff! The real - hard stuff we tend to sweep under the rug. The "me" you can’t see.

Personally, this show is a reminder that no matter how crazy your life has been, somewhere in this world of ours, someone is waiting to feel seen, and heard by your story. Someone relates to you and you're not alone.

We are living breathing creatures with feelings. We feel, and we feel hard. There's no shame in our pain. There's no shame in the causes of our pain either. We lived it. We felt it. Trauma is subjective like that. There's no true objective or criteria used to determine which experiences can be labeled traumatic, let alone which ones will have lasting impacts. We spend a great deal of our lives reckoning with this and we spend so much of our lives hiding the broken pieces inside us. We lock it all away in shame. A defense mechanism for sure, but one that ultimately creates loneliness because we suffer in silence.

We are in need of honest conversations and real connection. Share your experiences. Share the brokenness in your heart. That's your glory. That's your grace. You were born without your input. We all can agree on that. We're all here trying our best with the cards we were dealt. Life is hard... Less judgement and more talking. That's how we help each other navigate this thing called life. Together.

Xx Dee

This little girl was a trooper. I admire her strength. She kept her pain locked deep inside to spare others from feeling like she did. She used to wish and pray for another life. One without confusion, hurt feelings, or secrets. I wish I could go back and reassure her that she was born with a purpose bigger, and brighter than anything she could imagine. You did good kiddo. I’m proud of you.

New book:

#WhatHappenedToYou

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