THE COURAGE OF RETURNING.

Over the past few months a ton of things have happened to my little family, a lot of things that have taken our world, spun it upside down & turned it inside out in a moments notice. This post will be very personal, but I figured if I didn't get it off my chest than nothing would ever feel right again. Those of you who know me personally already know the hardships we have endured in the past few months, everyone else - we aren't looking for sympathy, just simply coming to realization that this isn't something to keep tucked deep in our pockets. We have a story. One in which we need to share.

On March 20th 2010 at quarter after eleven I received the a phone call simply stating that our darling house on First Avenue was on fire. I didn't make it to the house until 12:30, & what I saw I never wished I'd have to see. My childhood was burning before my eyes, my dreams & hopes for Daycen growing up in the same house I did, everything I'd worked so hard for the past few years - gone.

Since that day, I've avoided this blog like a plague, mainly because of the meaning behind it's name. My home on First Avenue is a memory now, something that is simply beautiful but all the same bitterly painful. The first place I went after I was born was that house. The first place my son went after he was born was that house. When I think of my childhood, my teenage years, my early adulthood - that structure is apart of it. Losing it, felt like losing ME.

First Avenue might be an empty lot now, with a for sale sign in the yard. However, to us, it is a place we will always call home. It isn't the end - it's the beginning of something beautiful. We all survived. We were blessed with the news of baby sister a few days following. The next few years whenever we see pictures, we'll cry. Whenever we think of what used to be, we'll mourn. But we are are still here, so we'll rejoice.

First Avenue is the home in our hearts. A place that will never die. This blog will continue, because despite the flames & the heartache, we are left with the courage to step forward. This is the beginning, not the end.