Dear Brianna, be refreshed

Refreshment: the giving of fresh mental or physical strength or energy. 

Brianna, 

This year is all about you. I know you’ve been through a lot lately – hell, you’ve been through the ringer and back tenfold – but you’re still holding your head high and kicking up dust behind you as you move forward. And this year, you’re moving forward in a refreshing and necessary way. I’m excited for you! 

January is the perfect month for refreshment in your life. It’s a new year, a new month, a new phase in life, and a new you. Well, maybe not a new you, but a better version of your old self. You’re finding yourself this year, and so far you’re on the right track! I’m so proud of how far you’ve come in such a short time since your divorce, but you’re doing your best and taking it all in stride. You’ve got a long way to go, but I have no doubt you’ll make it through with flying colors. It’s what you do. 

This year, you’re in store for greatness. Although there will be some low and difficult valleys along the way, happiness is in store for you in ways you’ll never see coming, so be ready! I know you are, because you’ve said it before. Refreshment is important to focus on as you embark on this new journey of self discovery. It’s a whole lot of new, but you’re not a stranger to new. Not anymore! You’ve been doing new for almost a year now (wow, that’s crazy) and you’re still wading those mysterious waters with grace and dignity – for the most part anyway. 

You need refreshment more than you probably realize and in more ways than one. Most importantly weighing on your heart lately (and you know it!) is your need for spiritual refreshment. You feel it pulling at you every day, but the excuse is always there, that there’s not enough time or that you’ll get to it later. Well, that’s enough of that sweet girl! Your intentions are pure, but they’re just that – intentions – unless you finally do something about it. Wipe the dust off of your bible and put it to use! Don’t jump in too fast, because you’ll definitely get overwhelmed that way. Start slow and with small goals. You’ll eventually build up to where you want to be, but you’ll never get there by lying to yourself about when you’ll finally get to it. Daily quiet time with the Lord is the goal, now let’s get to work on that ‘mmmk? Also be sure to get back in God’s good graces. Turn back to Him. You’re starting to stray a little much and it worries you. Go back to church. Hear His word, and you’ll have everything back into perspective, as it should.

You’re also in need of refreshment with your apartment and house chores. Get to it! It’s the perfect time to start fresh, as we’ve already discussed, and you really need to start actually checking things off of your to-do lists instead of them rolling over into the next week. Go back and look at how many times that’s happened just this month – way too many, I can assure you. Put the Christmas decorations away, do all of the laundry and PUT IT AWAY, organize your clothes, donate some clothes that are just taking up space (because you know you’ll never wear it like you say you will), clean out your refrigerator of things that have sat there a little longer than you’d care to admit, and shred that stack of paper that keeps growing and growing. GET.IT.DONE. You feel bogged down and stressed because there’s a lot to be done, it’s true, but no one is going to take care of it but you. You rely on yourself now, remember? If you don’t do it, it won’t get done. But again, you can start small. Do a little each day and you’ll be done in no time. And you’ll feel much better about yourself and your home once it’s all taken care of. I promise.

There’s laughter in your future. There’s happiness and joy and contentment. There are answers to your prayers, and you will look back on this time with your head held high, because you got through it. You got through being divorced and you moved on with your life. One day, you’ll be married again and with kids (God willing), and you’ll be able to read all of your divorce posts and be proud of the woman you became through all of it. It’s easy to be bitter and angry all the time, you have a pretty good reason to be! But it takes a strong person to take the high road and get through a divorce with class. And you, my dear, have done just that. You don’t bad mouth him, you don’t give him much thought at all, and you’re all the better for it. Be refreshed in this new season because you deserve it. You need it.

Sincerely,
Brianna