Every Soul Has a Story
Life is incredibly interesting. I've found myself thinking over and over again about how Hashem works in mysterious ways.
The more I grow, the more I realize that His timing is never random. Sometimes He brings people back into our lives long after we've convinced ourselves that the chapter is over.
Recently, I reconnected with a childhood friend. We grew up together until I was about eleven years old, when life took us in different directions. His family moved away from Colorado, and like most childhood friendships, we never imagined we would see each other again. We were kids. Life happened.
Years passed. Families grew. We became different people. Then, almost two decades later, our paths crossed again. It's amazing how one conversation can awaken memories you didn't even know were still there. The nostalgia came rushing back. But as we've slowly gotten to know each other again, not as children, but as adults, we've been sharing our stories, and while listening, I couldn't help but quietly thank Hashem for mine. Not because my life has been easy. Far from it. But because every time I hear someone else's journey, I am reminded that it always could have been different. It reminds me that every single person is carrying something you know nothing about. We all have battles, we all have scars. We all have nights when we wonder how we're ever going to make it through.
Hashem doesn't give us identical journeys. He gives each of us the exact challenges we need to become the people we're meant to be. Sometimes He allows our world to shake, not to break us, but to wake us. As I listened, I watched someone rebuilding their life after divorce. Starting over. Finding a place to live, learning to let go and smile again after life had taken so much. Building yourself back up when you feel like there's nothing left inside is one of the hardest things a person can do. But somehow...You do it. Because life keeps moving. Because your children need you.
As life has continued moving, I've realized something beautiful. Every person has a story. Every person has a purpose. And none of us should allow people to define us by the worst chapter of our lives. The broken girl. The divorced woman. The divorced man. The rebellious teenager. Those may describe a season. They should never become our identity. Instead, we have the opportunity to give ourselves a new name. A title we earn through our actions. Years ago, when people heard my name, they would often say,"Oh... Hana the girl who rebelled." For a long time, I wondered if that would always be the title attached to my name. But today...When people hear my name, I hear something different. They speak about my teaching, my kindness, my strength, my faith, my determination because I chose not to let my hardest seasons become my permanent identity.
Hashem challenges us at exactly the right time. The very moments we think our world is falling apart are often the moments He begins rebuilding it into something stronger.
That is why I keep reminding myself and others:
Keep pushing.
Keep growing.
Keep raising your children with love.
Keep becoming someone you're proud of because after divorce, it can feel like you've been robbed. Robbed of your home. Your family. Your dreams. A piece of your heart that never quite returns the same. You mourn not only what was but what could have been. But while you're grieving what you've lost, Hashem is already preparing what comes next. Long before we can see it. Opening doors we haven't reached yet.
Because every soul has a story. Every story has purpose. And every chapter, even the painful ones, is leading us exactly where Hashem wants us to be. Trust the process.
Emunah