Gratitude Blog Day 4: Love & Friendship

Today, I am grateful for all the beautiful people who I’ve been blessed to cross paths with.
I am grateful for those who have listened to me through my times of darkness.
I am grateful for those who have challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and grow.
I am grateful for those who have opened my mind to different perspectives and ways of life.
I am grateful for those who have been a part of my happiest memories — those memories are the keepsake I hold tight to when I’m feeling my loneliness with nowhere to turn.
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I am grateful for those who have been patient with me through my battle with PTSD and who have offered me the platonic love, intimacy, and connection that I long for.
I am grateful for those who have shown up at my door in the middle of the night just to be a shoulder to cry on.
I am grateful for those who have pointed out the light in me when I could no longer see it.
I am grateful for those who have brought the healing power of humor, laughter, and play into my life, reminding me not to take things so seriously.
I am grateful for those with whom I have had the opportunity to share my passion for creativity, and the works of art that never would have appeared if not for those moments of shared creation.
I am grateful for those who have knowingly or unknowingly healed me through their art, words, or example.

Here’s the thing.
The impact that we have on others is not defined by the time spent together nor broken by space apart. Even in brevity, we’re capable of leaving a lifelong imprint on another’s soul. I know this because some of the people who have had the most powerful impact on me were only briefly a presence in my life, or in this world — but I’ll forever carry them in my heart. Their impact will always live on inside of me, making me who I am today. So here’s to all the beautiful souls who have ever left an imprint on my spirit~thank you for being you.
“Do not be afraid;
No one’s ever lost forever.
They are caught inside your heart~
If you garden them and water them,
They make you what you are.”-Quote from “Lost”, by Amanda Palmer
