2016: girl next door meets full-on identity crisis 😅 Overnight mom I took full custody of my nephew. Deep in grad school. Carrying family trauma (My mom was awaiting trial, facing life in prison) I didn’t know how to name yet. Learning marriage with no blueprint, loving hard while growing apart, and trying to be whole while breaking quietly. That trial marriage was something else. 😅 Braces era (closed the gap 😬), a little glow-up gift to myself 🤣, and way too many selfies & Snapchat moments because... whew, life was heavy and we needed proof we were still here. Seminary life (my ex husband was becoming a pastor and that brought a whole different level of problems 🤣) missions in Tokyo, praying while confused, believing while unsure, and trusting God even when I had no idea who I was becoming. I was lost, stretched thin, and trying to be everything for everybody while God was gently reminding me I was still His. 2016 was messy. Sacred. Painful. Transformative. I didn’t have clarity but I had grace. And somehow, healing was already in motion. The lessons I learned in 2016 definitely helped me become the woman I am in 2026. #2016Reflections #HealingJourney #findingmyself #2016