A lot has happened in my life in the last few months and today I feel inspired to share my thoughts and feelings about life.
Just this last March we lost my dad to Pancreatic Cancer. He was diagnosed in February and the doctors told us that he had 6 months to live, but he only lasted a little over a month before it took his life.
Just the other night the subject came up when I was talking with a friend. She seemed surprised at how well I seemed to be handling everything. It got me thinking about how we can choose to be strong when things are hard. I'm lucky enough to have amazing role models for this. My Aunt Irene and the whole Titera family have been such amazing examples to me. They've lost 2 sons and brothers and managed to be strong through it all. They never gave up hope or quit looking forward to the future. It was amazing to see how they handled everything and I learned so much from watching them. I know these experiences were really hard on their family, but I've always admired they're perseverance and incredible strength. I strive everyday to be as admirable as their family and I hope that one day I can come close.
I'm not going to pretend that things haven't been hard or even pretend that I'm not still struggling but as a whole I am pretty good. I've experienced some pretty miraculous things that have helped me to gain a clearer perspective on things. I won't go into great detail about anything because they are pretty personal experiences, but I don't fear the future and I take comfort in knowing that Dad is still looking out for me and the rest of our family. I know without a doubt that everything will be okay. I also know that "faking it until you make it" is a real thing and that it works.
So if there is any struggle that you are faced with in your life, tell yourself that everything is okay until it becomes the truth. The mind is a powerful thing. Dad always told us that "failure is not an option." I thought it was pretty sound advice and it's helped to be strong, especially through these past few months. Life can be tough but we can choose to be strong.
