It's ironic, that the greatest loss of my life also provided me with the greatest gift.

The day we lost Adeline was, of course, the absolute worst day of my life. The days since I last held her have been excruciating. They have also been the most liberating of my life.

When you lose someone you love, all your preconceived notions about who you're supposed to be crumble to the ground.

Everything within you shatters.

You stand in the midst of the ruble stripped to nothing. To move again you must pull a few essential pieces back together. You do not have the strength to hold onto everything you used to carry. You only have the strength for what's at your core. And so, like the charge of a magnet bit-by-bit you pull the essentials back within you.

You have been stripped to the core of who you are.

You no longer carry around all the negative baggage that comes with life. The only baggage you carry is the heavy weight of loss. So you leave the rest behind. The insecurities, the doubts, the whispers that have held you back for so long.

The heaviness in your heart is like a fire burning within you, driving you, not letting you give up. It's too important now. This living from your true-self. This living with passion. It is you now and you are it.

You walk out of the ruble stripped down to your core ready to take on the world, because there's nothing holding you back any more.

You are alive. For the first time ever.

You are ready.

Here's to all those who've lost loved ones. Please know they did not leave you without. They left you with exactly what you need. The ability to discover your true-self and the power within your own heart.