A note: Hi! I am so ready to get back to writing and sharing and pouring my heart out via this (pink covered, of course) keyboard, typing away all that I’ve been thinking and feeling and learning. So much has been on my mind… and I’ve been thinking very intentionally about how to even begin to share it all. So today, I begin again… and there is so much to come. xx
Yesterday I turned 22 years old.
And today, I have been reflecting on all that this past year taught me. 21 was a year of growth, of deep love, of the craziest adventures, of remembering, of change, and ultimately, of continuous realignment with who God has made me to be.
I stepped into new relationships, deepened the relationships I have, began a leadership role that completely changed my heart & my life in the most incredible ways (more on that to come), failed a few (actually, quite a few) times, learned from my mistakes and stepped back up. I laughed harder than ever before, smiled so big my cheeks hurt, lost two of my most special people and felt the deep physical pain that was the resulting heartbreak, and saw so many of my dreams come to fruition.
Isn’t it funny how life works like that? That simultaneously there can be both the sweetest, happiest, most exhilarating moments alongside the tears and worries and fears.
Ultimately, this past year was one of growth; of learning; of understanding. Of recognizing that this life really isn’t about me… at all. And that in order to trust God’s plan for my life, I must release my expectations of what is to come. Because, gosh, do I want to live a life that is not perfectly planned in the ways I once saw it should be, but rather, a life that is in alignment with the purpose of why I’m here in the first place.
And so, as I head into 22, my heart could burst with excitement for life that is to come. Not because I’m expecting perfection–actually, far from it. But because I have such a profound trust that even in the most imperfect of moments to come there is goodness to be found; that throughout all the change & excitement & newness & opportunities, along with the moments or seasons that may be hard, I will be learning and growing and becoming more and more of who God made me to be.
My birthday wish? That you, too, would trust in this. That for the next year of your life you see the ways in which your life is so much more than just the everyday happenings in front of you; it’s a story of overwhelming love & hope & grace & redemption amidst all that is present in your day-to-day.
Let’s do this thing, 22.
Always,
Elle