Day Sixteen of Thirty-One: Not My Story

I have grown a better understanding of perspective over the past several months following the fire. As a family we went through a shocking, terrifying, and traumatic event. One that you tell your children not to worry about. One that you attempt to prevent at all costs. One that you think about and then shake off because the odds of it happening are so unlikely.

Then something like this happens. When it does you think you all have the same version, the same story. However, as I began to process the story for myself, with my husband, and with my children I realized, their stories were not my story. We all experienced each moment differently.

Each image different.

Each memory different.

I always knew, even when I had gone through something similar to an experience of someone else, I didn't truly understand what the person was going through. However, I think, secretly we still sometimes think we get it. We don't. We never can. As much as I want to grieve and take it all on for my children and husband, I can't. It would be too much and it would also stunt their process.

It's difficult to go through something on our own but I think it is truly more difficult to watch your family struggle. Something else I know for sure...when this is over, we will all be better. We will all be stronger. We will all be closer. We will be grateful we struggled through it together because really watching others rise helps us all rise.