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justlifewithdenise

Camas Washington

Why This Space Exists

There was a season in my life when I was simply surviving. Breathing felt impossible and heavy. Grief sat beside me, draped a heavy arm across my shoulders, around my heart, like a wool cape, insulated in a constant heaviness that became my companion…restricting my motion.

Responsibility did not pause for my sorrow.

I have walked through darkness.

I have buried people I love deeply, a son, a husband, a father.

I have stood at hospital bedsides as new life entered the world, holding precious life as I handed it to waiting parents, and stood at the other end of the spectrum in silent support, holding a patient’s or loved one’s hand as they gently transitioned over and left it.

I have mothered while mourning.

Left what harmed me.

Returned to school at forty when reinvention felt both terrifying and necessary.

Raised children into kind, caring, empathetic, compassionate adults.

Now I hold my grandchildren and witness legacy unfolding.

There is something greater that carries us when our legs cannot, when we want nothing more than to be curled up and hiding in a corner. There is FAITH — in whatever form speaks to your spirit. There is a quiet grace that meets us in hospital rooms, courtrooms, classrooms, gravesides, and kitchen tables at midnight. There is a light that does not extinguish — even when our world does, a light that flickers but does not disappear. I have felt that light return bright and stronger-a reminder that even after devastation, peace is still possible to find. And in those years, I learned something quietly profound:

That the human heart can break — and still remain capable of AMAZING LOVE, JOY and still find PEACE….acutally expand allowing more than you imagined possible…

Here, I reflect. Here, I share what I transmuted. There is the moment when pain begins to shape wisdom instead of fear.

Here I share pieces of my story… where the pain becomes power. Where wounds become wisdom. Where the “I Am” within me grows louder than fear to step up, step out, be a presence, a voice, a witness to what can be achieved when you embrace spirit, yourself, your shadow, and bring it forward into your light, self love, healing, release and acceptance …self worth…make a choice…a million tiny ones actually, everyday …choosing joy, (even when it feels impossible), choosing grace, choosing forgiveness, choosing LOVE…choosing to stand up that 8th time when you have fallen 7- FAITH, resilience-

I believe joy is not naïve. It is earned. It is chosen. It is cultivated. If you are healing… If you are awakening… If you are remembering who you are… You belong here….you are not alone- even in our darkest moments, we are not entirely alone, there is a thread that connects us.

But there is no magic formula in healing. No quick fix. No shortcut through grief. I wish there was… Life doesn’t come without storms. This space is about walking through them — not around them.

There IS ALCHEMY though… so if you are grieving, rebuilding, questioning, or quietly rising — you are welcome here. I will share my stories, my thoughts my perspectives, insights, and humor, hoping they resonate, inspire, encourage To offer what helped me. To hold space with empathy… If my words feel like a steady hand or a soft hug when you need one, then this space is doing what it was meant to do. This is Just Life. I am just a human BE-ing…authentic, genuine, heart led, soul fed …with the grace and love of Spirit…finding JOY in simple living… Where light returns, shining bright again—like a morning sunrise…you will smile again…I know because I AM.

I am grateful you are here. Let the Journey begin…letting my light shine

In Light✨ Denise