Guest Post By Karissa B.

People cope with their hard times in all sorts of different ways. The way I deal with mine I’m sure looks a lot different than the way you deal with yours. There’s no one right way to deal with them. You just keep pushing and moving forward. I’ve never really been comfortable sharing my personal life but I feel like I have a story to tell. Let me start by telling you how hard life can be.

Hard is when your mom passes away from a tragic accident and you’re only 15.

Hard is seeing your family fall apart because of this loss.

Hard is moving forward in life when all you want is one more hug from her.

Hard is living without my mom.

Hard is receiving a special needs diagnosis when you thought everything was okay.

Hard is watching your husband cry because of the unknowns.

Hard is watching your baby be flown off to another hospital, hoping he will still be alive by the time you get there.

Hard is being taken back to the ICU and looking at your child’s chest with so many tubes and wires hooked to him and feeling so helpless.

Hard is wanting to have another baby but being hesitant because of the “what if’s”.

Hard is moving forward when all you want is a breather.

Through all of these hard times there has also been so much beauty. My grandparents are my saviors, they’ve been by my side through everything. My oldest sister graduated from graduate school this year and my middle sister runs her own successful boutique. I’ve recently rekindled a relationship with my brother. I have an incredible and supportive husband who always rescues me. My mother and father in-law love me like their own and my two babies are even better than I could have imagined.

Hard times don’t have to control you, instead they have the potential to shape you. I would be a completely different person and have a completely different life if I had let these hard times control me. I am so grateful for the people in my life that helped me move forward. I have hope in spite of the hard times. Like I said in the beginning – I didn’t stop pushing through and moving forward. You can too.