"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."
There could not be a more meaningful sentence this past week.

How do we, as humans, souls made up of energy and love, find the strength to sit back in some moments in life and "let things happen"?
Well, often times we don't have a choice.
I have been faced with some situations in my life that are teaching me how to take control over myself, instead of trying to control the situation, as I am learning….I can't.

It's a hard pill to swallow as an empath, to watch those that you love walk into a fire.
They are fanning a flame, trusting it will all work out, when your experience has proved otherwise.

You want to throw a fire proof blanket around them, throw water at them, scream at the top of your lungs and let them see the ladder you are clearly holding…beckoning them to come down….I am here to "save" you.

But I am slowly understanding….and accepting….that some things in this life have to be felt and experienced by the person, in order for them to feel the pain, realize their situation and then they can grow and move on.

I can't stop them from walking into the fire, but I can stand back, so that I don't get burned.

Life has a funny way of coming full circle.

I have always felt that I lived through my circumstances as a child so that I may "save" others from the same pain.
"Here….learn from me, let me show you how I survived, take this rope…..I will pull you up."

And then, even with all that "power", I can't stop those that I love the most from being "burned". And that paralyzes me.

So, just the other day, I wrote down something that was a game changer for me.

"I have decided that I can't stop them from getting hurt. That is how we grow. I can't control their decisions or how they live their lives, but I can control me.
I get to decide how I want to feel, the circumstances I will put myself in the midst of, and who I allow into my life."

I took back control of ME.
There's power in that, my friends. So much freaking power.

I can allow my loved ones to go, and be, and live. Knowing full well they will get burned again. It's just a matter of time. But, the freedom for me is that I will be safe. Because I have stepped back and protected myself from the fire.

"God grant me the serenity"….the peace.
"To accept"…..which is so very hard.
"The wisdom"……which comes from experience.
And, "the courage"…..something I will need to pray for every day.

I can do it.

Sometimes you just need to let it all unfold, as you stand back and watch it burn.

I will maintain my role, my standards and my morals. And when the destruction is left behind, I will clean up the debris and put everyone back together…..as I have done so many times. It's the empath in me.
We feel everything, sometimes too much.

At the end of the day, I write this to empower. Me, you, us all.

In order to find your clarity, your strength, your peace in any given situation…..you MUST take back control over the only thing you have control over in this life.
That, my dear friends, is YOU 💜

Renovate and Rise🦋

Much love,
Linda 💜