What 2012 taught me

The last year has been one of the hardest so far and if I think back to a year ago today I never believed I would make it through, I never saw the strength I had or knew I had the determination to turns things around. I didn't know how the pain would subside, the anger would fade or how I would find happiness again and I never thought I would be able to raise a child on my own.

I lost everything so quickly and I gave up so much, at the beginning of 2012 I believed I had nothing and I was ready to never get up again.

But I couldn't because every morning when I woke up, I woke up to an innocent smile, a joyful laugh and the biggest, most beautiful blues eyes and I knew if not for me at least for him.

Happiness is a choice and how your life turns out is in nobody's hands but yours, strength doesn't come from life going well, its found when you in the darkest times and only you can climb your way out.

Success isn't having fancy cars or a big house and a wallet full of cash, its making something that you are proud of, success is when you can finally appreciate the little things in life and success is when you learn to love with no conditions.

Forgiveness is not for the one who hurt you, its for your own heart and your own peace, its so you can let go and move on, so you can no longer live in pain and resentment, forgiveness heals your soul.

Not only accepting who you are and what you have in life but being content in it and showing the people who matter that they are important so that every day, no matter how simple it is, it is lived to the fullest.

My life has changed, and once I thought I didn't want it to but now I can see why things happened the way they did. Today as I start 2013, I am stronger, I am smarter, I am kinder and I am more understanding, I love life no matter how hard it gets and I love more deeply, all the pain and all the heart ache and all the tears made me who I am today and I couldn't be more proud.

I am a single mom but I'm a damn good one, I lost one dream only to find a better one, friends walked away but gained so many more true ones, I gave up ever giving my heart to any one else only to have someone great walk into my life unexpected and accept me for who I am, I didn't appreciate family now I would never choose anything over them, I went from being selfish and wild and now I value my kindness and calmness of life, things change, life changes and I changed.