Hello Again — Life, Growth, and New Beginnings

     It's been a while since I have truly sat down and began to write on here. Honestly, it feels foreign in a way, but also comforting to be back. These past few months I have been on a journey - one filled with deep reflection, milestones, and a soulful growth. I took a step back from life not because I had nothing to say, but because I realized I have not truly enjoyed where I am at. I am not living for me, I am simply living to just live. That's not where I wanted to be at anymore. 

    So what has been new with me? Well, first and foremost I am grateful to share that I passed my NHA exam to become a certified phlebotomist. That journey wasn't easy by any means. I really pushed myself to a whole new comfort level. This required discipline, sacrifice, and lots of long nights studying. I prayed often as well, trying to push past my doubts. I didn't believe that I could really do this, I felt "not smart enough" and my anxiety began to bring me down to no avail. But I truly surprised myself through all of this, I somehow fought through my anxiety and didn't allow it to bring me down. It taught me something I carry with me now in everything I do: I am capable. Even when it's hard, even when I am unsure - I am capable. 

    During that time, I decided to try something new. I brought a small dream that had been living in my heart for awhile into reality. I opened a small business called Bake & Bloom, where I sell homemade cookies. My love and passion for baking became something more meaningful, it became a sweet extension of myself. This isn't just about cookies, which by the way are very delicious; it's about the  comfort and joy it brings me when I create something with love. Which ultimately brings people together. Every batch that I create carries a piece of me and of my heart. 

    Along with the certifications or my small business milestones, the most exciting part of it all has been the inner work. 

    I've been focusing on me, not in a selfish way, but in a way where I needed to spend more time with God. Trying to seek peace, direction, and find my true purpose. I have began therapy as my first step, trying to tackle all the trauma that has been dealt. It has been healing and eye opening. I've learned to sit in silence without needing to fill it. I've learned to be kinder to myself as this is my first time here on this Earth, to rest without guilt, and to let go of timelines that were never mine to begin with. It is all easier said than done though. I still find myself slipping and I think that is the most raw part of healing. It makes you appreciate being human. 

    Through all of this, there has been hard days. There are times where growth has felt like grief, when healing felt like loneliness, when trusting God meant I had to surrender. To trust in Him and believe that no matter what happens, it is all in Gods timing. Even with the bad, there has also been good days. Where I felt proud of myself for how far I've come, where I saw His hand in the small things, where I laughed freely and loved deeply.  

    If you are reading this and you're in a season of quiet, in a place where things feel slow, unsure, or rocky. I want to remind you, there is purpose in the silence. There is growth in what you cannot see. Sometimes the most important transformation happens when no one is watching. 

    I am still on this journey. I am still learning, still becoming, and still blooming. Thank you for being here, for giving me space to grow and come back to a new, developing me. Whether you're here for the sweet treats, the conversations, or the shared moments of faith.. I see you. 

    I am so glad we are here together, again. 

With love,

Kass