"I Didn't Realize That Was Still In Me": The Power of Shared Stories

Updated: Aug 15

I was at a home store today, looking at wall art for my office. You know—something calming but not cliché. I found something but was a little unsure it was the right fit. It read: “Be patient with yourself—nothing in nature blooms all year.”

I asked a woman nearby for her thoughts on it. She smiled, we chatted for a moment, and then... something shifted. I told her a little about my work, and without missing a beat, she started sharing the birth story of her only child and their feeding journey. It poured out. Like it had been sitting just under the surface, waiting for someone safe to hold it.

She paused at one point and said,"I didn’t realize that was still in me." And I believed her. She didn’t need advice. She just needed space. And the more I listened, the more she shared. Her story was raw and real and full of the quiet strength parents so often carry. It wasn’t an easy journey, but she told it anyway. And I walked away from that conversation feeling something I didn’t know I needed: Inspired.

Because the truth is, I have days when I doubt this path and wonder if I’m in the right field. The work is beautiful—but it’s heavy, too. And sometimes the system doesn’t make space for the kind of care I believe in providing. But this moment reminded me why I’m here. Holding space is healing. Not just for others, for me too.

I didn’t buy the artwork. But maybe its message found me anyway.

Be patient with yourself- nothing in nature blooms all year. But even small, quiet moments can grow something beautiful.

This work is sacred.

So are you♡