I’m spiraling. I’m lashing out. I’m angry. I’m mad. I just want her back. I kept going even though most days I didn’t want to. Not because I had the strength. In fact, most days I didn’t. There were days I wanted to stop. There were days I wanted out! I wanted to leave this world and its problems and join my baby. Days where it felt like giving up was the only way to escape the crushing weight of it all. But I held on. I kept moving forward, even when my heart screamed to stop. The battles over the past 19 1/2 months have been relentless—struggles with mental health, self-worth, overwhelming doubt, depression, anxiety, PTSD. Emotionally and mentally, I felt like I was drowning. Honestly , most days I still do. The hits just kept coming. One bad thing after the next. One more thing to navigate while still trying to grieve, to parent, to understand what happened, to fight for justice, to make sense of the chaos in courtrooms and in my soul. To not blame myself, to not wonder what I could have done differently, to not dig for answers and what ifs. Most days, I barely keep my head above water. And some days, I don’t want to. I want to let myself sink. Let it all go. I fight though. I fight. I want to stop treading the water of life and let the pain consume me. Because the pain? It’s unrelenting. It’s suffocating. It’s often unbearable. I often say that I wouldn’t be here if not for Taylor and Ryker. And that’s the truth. They’ve been my life preservers, keeping me afloat, my reasons to keep fighting even when I wanted nothing more than to leave. Leave this world, leave this pain, leave the constant ache of loss to be with Aubreigh again. To see her smile, to hold her, to finally feel peace. 2023 shattered me. It shattered my soul, my life, my dreams of what life should have been. I didn’t think I could be broken any further. But then came 2024. 2024 didn’t just shatter me; it broke me. It brought me to my lowest point, to a version of myself I didn’t even recognize. It broke my spirit in ways I didn’t think were possible. And yet, here I am. Somehow, I’m still standing—or at least trying to. This battle is not over. I am sure there will be bad days ahead, but I will continue to try to fight through them. Not because I’m strong, but because side my God is strong, and because my future self, Taylor, Ryker, and even Aubreigh deserve to see what’s on the other side of this pain. 4 months in to 2025. And I’ve just been going through the motions. One foot in front of the other. It’s hard! The pain unbearable. The ache so deep. The longing so desperate. I just want her back, my family back, me back. I keep telling myself , It may be a bad day. It may be a bad month. Heck it may even be a bad year or few years, but this will NOT be a bad life! For anyone else feeling broken, keep going. Not because it’s easy, but because we owe it to ourselves to find out what’s waiting on the other side. The struggles with suicide, mental health, and the crushing weight of it all may feel like they’ll never end, but there’s still so much waiting for you on the other side of the pain. Even in the darkest moments, when it feels like there’s no way out, you’re building strength, resilience, and a story that could save someone else. You’re not alone in this battle, and even when it feels impossible, remember that your life has purpose, your voice matters, and your presence in this world is irreplaceable. Keep fighting—you deserve to see the light again. I’m telling myself and all of you! 🤍