I hope you all have had a great week! I wanted to share a quick life update with you all so can get a better understanding of why I have not been as active on Instagram and my blog lately.

The end of July was extremely tough on my family and I with the passing of my Grandmother.

My grandmother was someone who I admired deeply. As a hardworking and thoughtful woman she always pushed me to be my very best. She was a woman of extreme strength, courage, humor, and love. She was responsible for shaping me into the woman I am today.

My grandma will live in my heart and in my family’s hearts forever. Not only that; she lives in our lives, too, in the lessons, the sayings that shape us, the values that define us.

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When you experience the death of someone close, someone you truly love, someone you would do anything to bring back, it never leaves you completely. Whatever the situation in which you lose them, grief will likely hit you in numerous forms.

At times I’ve asked myself, “Is this normal, am I ok? What is my purpose here on earth?”

After a loss, your mind and body don’t really know what is going on. You feel as if you’re spaced out slightly, unsure which direction you will be taken in next. And as the funeral passed, the days and weeks have kept on rolling by, each day a different set of emotions.

If you’re experiencing or have ever felt these type of emotions, it’s important that you let grief take you on that ride. Embrace it. Don’t resist or push yourself away from it.

Staying Positive

We’ve been told before we need to cut people a break in life. We shouldn’t judge them because we don’t know what they might be going through.

When you have experienced grief and loss, it makes you more aware of people’s feelings. You become more understanding of others.

You try and remember that when someone is acting like a total jackass, there could be a deeper reason to his or her behavior.

Maybe we just don’t see the full picture. Although, in a perfect world, people would always be kind no matter what they’re going though, you can still do your part by trying to understand people, even if they aren’t being nice to you.

Grief will give you a newfound appreciation and thirst for life.

Grief helps us become more understanding of others.

With grief and healing comes a newfound appreciation for life. You stop taking people and things for granted. You start experiencing life in a new way, and you no longer sweat the small stuff. You learn to let things go. You try and laugh a little harder, breathe a little deeper and love a little stronger.

Life is short, so why not make the most of it?

I won’t be completely quitting social media and I’m not suggesting anyone do that. But I do hope if you’re reading this you’ll think about taking a break from social media to see how you feel. Start with a weekend or a week, but aim for 30 days. Give yourself a chance to feel how I felt after just one month.