Here we are on the cusp of a brand new decade. To say I’m ready is the understatement of the day, week, month, year, and millennium. The past 10 years have been HARD.
I lost my mother in 2015. I’ve shared before that my mom did not have a formal education. She didn’t complete the 10th grade before she had to go to work building railroad ties. She was widowed and had given birth before she was 15.
Traditional school — classes, homework, field trips, etc. — was not a part of her “schooling”. Whatever she learned in this life came through hard knocks. She passed those valuable lessons on to us, her children, but she also made sure that we all received the “book” learning she never did. I have her to thank for my master’s degree. I have her to thank for my love of reading and writing. I have her to thank for my desire to make Scrivener Shine Edits a success.
In 2017, I lost my 41-year old nephew. I have written two very important pieces about his death. My purpose for writing them was two-fold: I need others to understand how grief and mourning can impact the bereaved, and I need people to know the difficulty of moving forward after the death of a loved one.
The first one can be found at http://coffeehousewriters.com/where-did-he-go/. It was published on January 1, 2018, shortly after he passed. I was so desperately lost.
The second one can be found at https://medium.com/@treaseshine/68-800-640-seconds-ago-a4c14dc28c5f. I wrote that one on December 18, 2019. I am still lost.
Read them. Feel them.
Finally, in 2018, I experienced the heartbreak of a lifetime. I refuse to give that thing any more opportunity to demolish my soul, so I won’t go into detail but know that out of the ashes come sometimes comes goodness. I’m good. I’m better for the deceit. I’m better for the manipulation. Another human being single-handedly killed my spirit, but I promise, I’m better for it.
Moving Forward
Every day is new. Every day is a blessing. We get to start over. It just happens that we are at the beginning of a new decade. We have the opportunity to do big stuff. We can do that stuff on our own terms.
My goal is to work through 20 things in 2020 that will bring my soul joy. One of them is to grow Scrivener Shine Edits into the success I know its meant to be. My mission is to write for the benefit of others. My mission is to make sure other businesses are successful in their presentation. My mission is to help other businesses prosper.
See you guys on the other side.