Guidance By Li

8 months after my brother died I had hit my rock bottom. I was completely out of my mind consumed with my grief. I was stuck replaying what happened on the day he died and who was responsible for his death. I was selling my business, trying to raise my little girl, & literally crumbling at the seams.

I didn't have a single tool in my toolbox to help myself & I remember thinking I was never going to be okay again. But my breakdown was the first honest moment I had with myself in realizing that Christopher's loss didn't need to be the end of my story too 🥺.

Instead, it became the foundation of a MASSIVE self-help healing journey. I realized that once I was able to survive the days I thought were going to destroy me, I needed to stop doubting what I was actually capable of. I started rebuilding differently. With self-awareness, intention, courage, and a deeper understanding of what actually matters in life.

The life I live now was hardly build from comfort. It was built from grief, hard truths, accountability, resilience, and choosing to keep going when it would've been easier to just give up. Rock bottom didn't bury me. It introduced me to the version of myself that I deserved all along 🙏❤️ & I am eternally grateful for it.

I choose to live in a way that I hope makes him proud. I work hard, I NEVER quit, and I try to be a power of example for my kiddo. I don't ever want her to see the world and my set of circumstances harden me. Instead, I want to show her that we can choose to live, despite the heartbreaking things that can happen. That we can learn lessons from our trauma & that life is worth living. I want her to stop and smell the roses, to laugh until she cries, and to never take anyone or anything for granted & without my grief, I wouldn't live with that perspective 🙏❣️.

I appreciate you all allowing me to share my story so openly. And for continuing to support this community, yourselves and one another! We are stronger and better together friends! With Light & Love, ~Li

One of the hardest truths to accept is that sometimes our heartbreak didn't come solely from what someone else did, it came from the version of them we created in our own mind 😖.

We expected loyalty they weren't capable of, communication they never learned, effort they never intended to give, and healing they clearly weren't ready for or intentional about.

We attached ourselves to potential, promises and hope, while ignoring patters and reality. That doesn't make you foolish or ignorant, it makes you human friends & god knows I've done this plenty in my lifetime 🥺.

What I realized was that more often than not, I was at the root cause of my own heartbreak because I was expecting other people to think like me, love like me, care like me, work hard like me, etc. But the truth is friends, we can't cannot control how other people show up, what is in our control is our response to them.

Peace starts when we stop trying to manage others and start focusing on our own boundaries, energy, and expectations ✔️❤️🙏. Letting go started with me no longer arguing with reality. People are who they are & that is outside of my hula hoop lol.

It takes work to arrive in this headspace and it's also not fool proof because I work hard to help myself heal from expectations, but I am human and sometimes find myself disappointed in others. You aren't alone friends, but an important question to ask yourself is "what role you play in it?" 10 out of 10 times we are giving our power and strength away. Expectations are truly just future resentments & I am on a mission to live as resentment free as possible! Chasing peace of mind like my life depends on it because it does 🥰❤️.

With Light & Love To All Of You Out There! ~Li

I 💜the beginning of new months. There's something comforting about it for me. It's a reminder that we are allowed to reset, refocus, and begin again.

No matter what last month looked like, a new month brings fresh perspective, new opportunities, and another chance for us to show up for ourselves in healthy ways.

LFG! I'm ready for you June 🥰✔️. Who is with me lol? With Light & Love, ~Li

Please see this weeks grief support group schedule.
If you are seeking honest conversations, real connection, education about grief and how it affects the mind and body, and practical tools to help you navigate life after loss, please don't hesitate to drop into one of this week's groups.

No one should have to walk this journey alone 🙏❣️. With Light & Love, ~Li

This picture was taken in “Little Alum” Lake 💜. My sister-in -law Stacy Marie and her family were visiting from PA this weekend. It was so nice to be together, share laughs, meals, and love with one another. I did my best this weekend to be present and really appreciate the time we were able to spend with them.
She put on a little pop up event for her side hustle Common Grounds Cafe of Wilbraham, which was wonderful & I even got to show her my office space. I love to spend time with her and Dan Smola together because their relationship very much reminds me of me & Christopher.

As I looked around the lake cottage yesterday with everyone interacting, laughing, and watching the kiddos fishing, playing cards, and watching cartoons my heart felt happy 💜. I’m grateful for all of it!

Time with those you love count! Don’t take it for granted friends 🫶🏼. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! ~Li