Never think that what you have to offer is insignificant. There will always be someone out there that needs what you have to give. -unknown I love this quote because it speaks to me as an individual. It kind of speaks to why I even started this blog in the first place actually. I mean, I'm not crazy... I am well aware that only a handful of very special people will ever take the time out of their incredibly busy lives to read my babbling posts about life. But my thought was, that if I could help even one person. If I could make one exhausted mom feel more normal, or one woman with infertility feel less alone, or even one person laugh out loud on "one of those days," it's so worth it! Of course, it helps that I enjoy writing and find it incredibly therapeutic, but the best part is just hearing from readers that they can relate. So what do I have to offer really? I mean, what right do I have to start a blog anyway? Well no right at all frankly. I'm not a great cook, I have one kid that I didn't even carry myself, I'm infertile, I've never breastfed, and I'm not a fitness or fashion expert by any stretch of the imagination... but... I truly believe in my heart that there will always be someone out there that needs what I have to offer... Whatever that is. And I think it's true for all of us. What you have to offer in this life is never insignificant. There are people out there that need exactly what you have to offer. There are people that feel alone and are sick and tired of pretending to be okay all the time. What journey are you on? What miles have you walked? What did you learn and how did you grow? Who can you help? Sure, you may not have something to offer the world, but you don't have to, to make a difference. I've always loved that story about the starfish, you know the one right? Here it is if not: Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.” The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.” The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!” adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977) What you have to offer is a beautiful thing. We can all make a difference to that one. Something will grow from all you are going through, and it will be you. And finally, one last quote that I leave you with because it needs to be followed up with an "Amen" every time... we will all go through something in our life because you know what they say about life...no one gets out alive! Haha! But really, we will all experience things that are hard, and hurt, and that make us feel like no one can relate. But I challenge you to embrace your journey with both hands. Hold on tight and know that you will get through it when you allow yourself to grow through it. Does that make sense to you? I hope it does. And I hope you can find the strength that your own hardships have brought you. You can be better and badder because of them. You can harness them and ride them off into the sunset. Don't allow yourself to be defined by what you have been through, it's just part of your journey.
So I will leave you tonight with these two quotes to ponder... yes all three of you that are actually reading this (Hahaha)! Never underestimate what you have to offer. There is always a need for what you have to give. And give yourself credit for all the growth that has come and will come from your struggles if you are brave enough to embrace them, but not be defined by them.
4 Comments
Sarah - this may be my favorite entry of yours yet. You put into words what I (and I believe, so many people) need to hear. And sometimes at exactly the moment I needed to hear those words. You had just what I needed today
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Moderation Mama
9/22/2015 07:42:55 pm
Thanks Nana that makes me so happy!
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Claire
9/22/2015 07:33:50 am
Sarah, you have such a beautiful soul. I love all your posts but this one made me feel especially lucky to call you a friend.
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Moderation Mama
9/22/2015 07:44:04 pm
Claire, that means a lot coming from you. Hugs!
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