"It is okay to be in this space. The transition, the messy middle, the space in between. You've moved on but you haven't yet arrived. You've left behind what you needed to, but the puzzle pieces haven't all yet come together. There is messiness. There is waiting. There is uncertainty. You are wanting to rush but everything is moving slow. You are wondering if you will get to where you want to go. But where you are is perfect. The messy middle is for doors to close and new doors to open. This transition period is where things come undone so that they can be put back together. This is a season of just being, of trusting. This is a season to pause and take a breath. Have love for yourself, you are exactly where you need to be."

"Piece by piece, you are going to build a life for yourself. Not because you have finally arrived at a place where everything is perfect, but because you have allowed flowers to grow between the concrete of your grief. Because you have chosen to believe in hope for just one more second than you have indulged your fear. Because you learned to stop holding yourself to your own impossible standards. Because you began focusing on just the next right step, and then the next right step after that. Because you started prioritizing how your life feels over how it looks. Because you let it lead you to your greatest revelations, and smallest pleasures, and the quiet salve of healing hours at which you remembered — it was always going to be okay."