2019 was a year of stepping stones, lessons, and as cheesy as it sounds, really finding out who I am.

I had already completed a semester of college, started living on my own, met a ton of new people, all while ringing in the new year. Feeling like that transition was big enough in itself, I still felt like something was missing, or I wasn't truly being who I was meant to be. I felt like I had to be perfect in an imperfect world, be friends with people that I thought would be there for me forever, and be someone that everyone else wanted me to be, or so I thought.

After some big lessons that were thrown my way from the big man upstairs, I soon realized that this person I was meant to be was not who I was in that moment.

A lot of journeys that we embark on aren't always what we want but are 100% what we need. They will teach you things about yourself that you never knew you were capable of and grow in ways that you never thought would be possible. You will create a newfound love for yourself, and the new relationships you will build with like-minded people. This new beginning is for you, and for you only. It will be scary, it will be tough, but it will be oh so worth it.

Although 2019 started off in not the most ideal way, it ended in one of the best ways possible, and it was all thanks to the small victories that were achieved along the way that helped me to be the strong, independent woman that I am walking into 2020 as.

Sometimes we have to go through troubled waters to really find ourselves, and what our true potential can consist of. Where there are highs there will be lows, and where there are valleys, there are also big, victorious mountains that will never be a linear hike. That is the beauty of it all, though. Accepting the struggles, the bumps in the roads, and the not so good days, because on the other side of it is triumphs, smooth sailing, and beautiful days ahead.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).