Catching Up: A Story of Change, Growth, and New Beginnings

It’s been a while—and there’s so much to catch up on.

Recently, I looked back at some of my old blog posts and paused on one titled “Boundaries.” I had to smile. Little did I know how much that theme would shape my journey over the next couple of years.

In August 2022, my family and I moved into my childhood home with my Dad. We added an addition to the house so it could accommodate all of us, my Dad, my husband and me, and our three kids. That same fall, I started working as a special education aide at the elementary school I once walked through as a student. Life had come full circle in many ways.

Then came a whirlwind of change.

In April 2023, I separated from my husband. By December, our divorce was finalized. In the midst of it all, he received a diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer. That season was heavy, confusing, and hard. But through it all, my children and I stayed in the home I grew up in, leaning on the support of my Dad, who has been an incredible help and comfort.

Through all of this, a surprising light entered my life. After my separation, I reconnected with someone from when I was in High School. He was also going through a divorce and has two kids of his own. In April 2024, we got engaged. Life doesn't always go how we planned, but sometimes it leads us exactly where we’re meant to be.

Financially, things have been tight. We tried to sell the house last September to relieve some of the burden, but the right door hasn’t opened, yet. Still, God has been faithful.

This past year, I took a leap of faith and enrolled in a program called Talent Together, which allows me to work while earning my degree to become a certified special education teacher. It's been hard, but it feels like the right path, and one that gives me hope for the future.

To help make ends meet, I recently accepted a second job as a Behavior Technician at a local ABA therapy center, working with individuals with autism. My schedule will be intense, working 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school, then 4 to 8 p.m. at the clinic. It’s going to take everything I have, but I know why I’m doing it. For my kids. For our future.

Since January, I’ve been watching a co-worker step boldly into digital marketing, and I’ve seen it transform her confidence and her family’s finances. Watching her sparked something in me. I don’t want to be a bystander in my own life anymore. I don’t want to miss more time with my kids than I have to. I want to build something that gives me the freedom to show up for them, and for myself.

I’m stepping out in faith and starting my own digital media journey. Because I want to stop leaning so heavily on my Dad. Because I want to show my kids that it’s never too late to rebuild. Because I believe that with faith and grit, anything is possible.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” – Proverbs 31:25

I don’t have all the answers. But I’m learning to trust the One who does. And I believe, deep in my heart, that even in the chaos, even in the hustle, He is working things out for good.

Here’s to new chapters. To growth. To grace. And to the kind of strength you don’t realize you have until you’ve been forced to find it.