"Embrace yourself. Love yourself."

You know that feeling when you just want to cry cry cry because no one understands? Every time that happens to me…just when I’m about to fall, I remember a little girl with unfailing faith, bouncy brown curls, and a constant song that she sung. I remember not having a care in the world. I remember constantly singing…no matter what.

One thing I have lived by my whole life is to hold my faith with everything I have. Never compromise my values and always give every ambition one last shot. I wasn’t raised a quitter but sometimes you lose you lose your way.

Sometimes my hopes and ambitions feel so intense, it seems like the only thing left is a dream and a heartbeat and at that point there’s nothing left to say…so I sing. All I’ve ever wanted to do was sing. I’m always singing a song whether it’s in my head or out loud….it’s a way for me to escape. When I get lost in a song, I can forget about all the other responsibilities I have…just for a moment until that song is over and then I go back to reality. If I didn’t have music, I guarantee I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today. Music has a power to heal unlike anything else. Singing has always been my number one passion but it’s also the way I cope when the difficult times come around.

When I had my first heartbreak…I sang. When I lost a loved one, I sang and prayed. When I feel lonely, I sing. When I have nothing left to say, I sing. I guess what I’m saying is I’m extremely grateful for the song that is always in my heart. I’m certain that God put that song in my heart when I was just a little girl because He knew that I would fall in love with music and it would help me for the rest of my life. He knew that I’d be an 80 year old grandmother singing her grandbabies to sleep.

To have a passion just makes life a little bit sweeter than it already is. God has given everyone a passion or a gift, we just sometimes don’t see it. I truly believe that whatever gift or talent you have…you have for a powerful reason. Passions and loves for things in this life help us get through the hard times and somehow make sense of pain.

Do you love to write? Don’t waste another minute…go write. Do you feel free when you run? Go run. Do you have a love for learning? Work as hard as you can to get into the college of your dreams and accomplish your goals. Anything is possible! Do what you love and realize that you love it for a beautiful reason.

You may not know why you have a secret passion or love for something but you have it for an amazing purpose. You have a gift…learn to embrace that gift and share it with the world!