God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer has always been very special to me, and helps me sort through things in this life when it starts to feel completely overwhelming. When you feel upset and it feels like everything is going wrong, these are powerful words to live by and can really put your life situations in a good perspective, and help you rationalize your thoughts and give you a sense of empowerment.

I’ve been wanting to start my own blog for a very long time. For a while, I couldn’t decide what topic to focus on. I have so many interests and skills that would be fun to share with the world. I could probably write a very successful Walt Disney World vacation guide. I could talk about musicals and theatre life, or Michigan football or cooking or even a book review blog.

Then, I decided I didn’t need to pick just one. I could just write a lifestyle blog, and focus on the “courage” part of the Serenity Prayer, and talk about my journey to “change the things I can.” In January I set up this wordpress account and the url and Kellie did the web design for me. Of course, I got a bit side-tracked when my plan to change careers presented an opportunity much more quickly than I ever dreamed. But more on that later.

Then in April, when my family endured the unbearable tragedy of losing my beloved brother, Stephen, I knew my personal journey and the journey of writing this blog would be very, very different than I ever imagined. Now more than ever, I need “serenity to accept the things I cannot change.”

I’ve been wanting to start this ever since the end of April, but have not found the courage until now, at 2am as I lay awake thinking of my brother. I think a little courage also comes from my mother, who has bared her heart and soul on her mini blog-type posts on Facebook. And of course, I get a lot of courage my husband, who is my rock and my number one fan and supporter.

So here it is. For the first time, I want to share my personal journey. A journey of faith, love, change, grief but also happiness. Because while there is so much new pain in our hearts that we must live with, we still have a lot of life to live, a lot of joy to share, and a lot of opportunities to make Stevie proud. I was overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and support our family around the wake and funeral, but moreso of all the stories of inspiration. This blog, while admittingly is self therapeutic, is also meant to inspire. Even if I can inspire 1% of the number of people my brother has inspired, I know I will have done something right.

So, I dedicate this blog to my brother, Stephen. And I pray he gives me strength to write something meaningful for myself, for him, for my family and for God. Thanks for reading and I hope you come back for more.