International day of peace...

So today is "international day of peace" and I've got a story to tell.

I found out this morning that I passed my nursing state board exam yesterday. I am officially licensed to practice nursing. I also found out that I made a 22 on my ACT, which is a miracle because that test was ridiculous. I also had my hair done today after over a year of neglect. You can imagine I've been on cloud 9 all day long.

It's such a coincidence that today was international day of peace. This day has delivered nothing but peace for me. After a year of nursing school, studying 24/7, neglecting my family and myself, not being able to pay bills, not being able to work much, all of the stress and worry that have been weighing on me for so long- now it's all gone. In just two hours of test taking, it's done. I feel like I've been baptized. Now I can take care of my bills again. Now I can give back to my family for all they have done for me. I can focus on work and not have to worry about studying for tests. I can finally be a functioning part of my family again. This is the happiest day of my life so far. I have such peace in my heart knowing that I can take care of myself now. I know that my family won't have to worry about me anymore. I am so thankful for this day and I'm so thankful that has God brought me through it.

Not only do I have peace about my career, but I have peace with myself. This year has been such a journey for me. In January I found out that my boyfriend (who I had planned on marrying) was cheating on me. We had a very bad breakup and I spent about three months crying. I decided that I was going to let this build me instead of break me. I took a good, hard look at myself and why everything happened the way it did. There were many things I needed to change about myself in order to get better, so I got busy. I immersed myself in sermons, spiritual teachings, and anything I could get my hands on that would give me a new way of thinking. Oprah, Rick Warren, Deepak Choprah, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Alan Watts, Elizabeth Gilbert, and a few others became my guru's. I would listen to them for hours every day. I took up meditation. I didn't quit school. I kept myself going and I found something to be thankful for every day. As time goes on, that seems to become even easier to do. I also became closer to myself during this time. I realized that the way people were treating me was just a reflection of how I treated myself. How can you demand respect from people when you don't even give it to yourself? How can you expect love from others when you don't even love yourself? These are the things I have focused on this year, along with my spirituality. Right now, I feel stronger than ever. I can feel amazing things happening all around me. I can feel the good vibes in my bones. I wake up everyday excited for what will happen. I know that God has some amazing things in store for myself and my family and I am so thankful for that. 2017 is going to be even better than this year, I just know it.

So here's my question for you: what lessons have you learned this year? Have you overcome any obstacles that have made you grow? If you said "no" to either of these, don't worry, there's still time. You have three months left in 2016 to grow and learn. Use this time wisely, because you will never get it back. And, if you missed international day of peace, just make every day your own personal day of peace. If we all did this, I imagine we would have a much happier world. God bless.