Seneca: Wow! I NOW understand why being impeccable with your word is so important to you. It all makes sense!
This was Seneca’s response after she interviewed me for her campaign, ‘You Are More Than Your Story: Motivational Memoirs of Scars Seen and Unseen.’ It was not until this moment that I realized many do not know my story and how it all culminated into Love Grows. Many of you know various aspects of me but not many know the entire story and the reasons why I am such an advocate for:
- Love
- Honesty
- Patience
- Forgiveness
- Vulnerability
- Communication
- Present Parenting
- Healthy boundaries, etc.
- Being impeccable with your word
- Investing and doing your work to heal your emotional wounds
I am not perfect (nor is anyone else).
I’ve had my share of emotional wounds, inflicted emotional wounds upon others and broken hearts. There were moments when I did not feel as if I were good enough DESPITE professional and academic accomplishments and accolades, refused to forgive and instead chose to walk with fire (anger). In my life there were moments when I felt jealous and used another’s ‘ruler’ to measure my progress.
There have been moments when I felt as if love forgot about me and I was so angry at both love and God because I was such an advocate for both.
But then there came a time when I said ENOUGH and embarked on my very personal and sacred journey of healing and love. Healing is not a destination, it is a skill we learn from our various experiences. Life is on the job training, where we are learning, revising and implementing in real time. There are experiences we will have on our journey where the tools we have are not sufficient and this is when we will need to seek the expertise from others and there is NO shame in that. Instead, this requires emotional courage.
I share a moment of vulnerability with you to let you know that although our stories vary, I know the healing journey quite intimately and this is why I am excellent at what I do. I’ve done my work and know how resilient the heart is and how healing allows it to expand to the capacity God created it to be. I know how forgiveness transforms relationships and allows peace to thrive.
I did not do it on my own and you do not have to either. There is no shame in therapy. There is no shame in asking for help. Instead this is one of the most courageous acts you will ever do. Let’s heal these wounds and grow love…together. - Misha N. Granado, MPH, MS