Editors Note August/September 2023

Hello, my sweet friends. I hope that you are enjoying this gorgeous summer that Central Wisconsin has served us. As I write this, I am still in the flannel I sported all weekend at Country Jam—enjoying a late-in-the-day coffee, as I just spent the last two hours looking for my readers (finally breaking down, running out to buy a new pair), only to find the glasses I was looking for on my head. That, my dear, is a bath of vulnerability, truth, and a splash of ADHD.

The brokenhearted were indeed the bravest among us, as “they dared to love.” The brokenhearted have lost a loved one and live long after everyone else seems to have moved on. The brokenhearted work jobs, take care of children, and put smiles on their faces—all while trying to mend broken hearts. The brokenhearted dared to love, opened their hearts and took a risk; and even though they came up short, they dared. That is bravery. A broken heart, however, does not equal an unhealed heart. My heart is overjoyed with the unique gifts I have been given, and to see my tribe of five all living their best lives has given me pure mama bliss. My heart is swelling; but with heart swelling, there has been a side of heartbreak.

Gus took a leap of faith this summer and decided to leave friends and family to attend a campus ministry program in South Carolina. It has been a life-changing journey for him. I had the opportunity to visit him quickly and learn a bit more about his experience. Amazing, tough, tearful, loving conversations. I tearfully said goodbye to the boy I once knew and hung out with this incredible man who is my son. He is a man on fire for his faith, who vulnerably shared his wisdom and grit and took full responsibility for his life. Godspeed, my sweet boy, for you have found what many people spend their lives chasing and never find. The brokenhearted are the bravest among us, and he is one of the bravest.

The side of heartache has me saying goodbye to the person I once was, the person who was a desperate people pleaser. I am saying goodbye to the person who would sacrifice her peace to ensure everyone else wasn’t uncomfortable. I am profoundly sad and heartbroken that setting a boundary and sticking to it means I must have the courage to love myself despite disappointing others. Ladies, it’s much easier in theory than practice. The brokenhearted are the bravest among us. I am heartbroken for the girl that didn’t know her worth and still questions if she is enough. That woman is enough just the way she is, with all her scars and imperfections. The brokenhearted are the bravest among us.

I am heartbroken for all those who struggle to realize how incredible they are just by being themselves—struggling to release toxic shame and embrace healthy connection…

Shame is “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and unworthy of love and belonging—something we’ve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection … The focus is on self, not behavior. The result in feeling flawed and unworthy of love, belonging, and connection … Shame is never known to lead us toward positive change” (Brown, n.d.).

Connection is “the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment” (Brown, n.d.).

We all deserve belonging and connection. My hope for all of you, my beautiful, faithful readers, is that you can find and cultivate the relationships you were meant to have with others and yourself. That you know your worth and value and that you are enough.

This fall fun and fitness issue is full of things to challenge mind, spirit, and body. Enjoy the summer’s end; welcome in the first feels of fall and all the exciting opportunities a new season may have in store. I hope you never have a broken heart; but if you do, remember you are the bravest among us.

The journey continues in faith, family, friends, fitness, and finance.