I had an epiphany just now. I really need to practice patience with myself. I am here trying to be patient with everyone else in my life but am not giving that same courtesy to myself. I have been feeling exceptionally tired and run down and I think it is because I have been spending too much time thinking of all the things I am not doing or not doing well enough. I need to be kind to myself and cut myself some slack. With all the use of social media these days I think it is so hard not to compare. I heard something one time that really struck me. It went something like this...we should not compare our real life to what we see on social media. If we do we are comparing everyone else's best days and kodak moments to our worst day. This is a recipe for disaster. This could lead to depression, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness. I have seen this happen to people I know and it can be truly debilitating. I need to focus more on what I am doing well and how far I have come. My "Boise" mom who has taken me in as her own gave me a bracelet for Easter. It has a picture of a Phoenix on it. I asked her if the bracelet had been hers. She said it had been her grandmothers. I was so touched that she would trust me with such a treasure. I mentioned the Phoenix and said that I think that needs to become my personal mascot. I feel like I was at the lowest of lows and over the last year and a half I have risen out of the ashes and begun to soar. I have risen above the loss and the grief and the pain of rejection. I have overcome physical, mental and emotional obstacles. I have made goals and started on the path to accomplish them. I have learned that "I can do hard things!" I guess the other half of the epiphany is that if I can be more patient with myself, patience with others will come more easily. I feel like this is the beginning of a fabulous week. I am grateful for the tender mercies that Heavenly Father provides me with on a daily basis. I know with Him all things are possible!