These Are The Good Old Days

December 8, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

Good morning friends!

I’ve had this thought in mind to share for quite some time, because I think it’s so important to remember. We spend so much time worrying about the past and planning for the future, that now more than ever, living in and appreciating the NOW is fleeting.

Anyone else struggle to remain present? 🙋‍♀️

Lately I’ve been thinking about how personally I’ve been so laser focused on the future and what’s next that enjoying the journey is getting lost. We’re currently living in “the good old days” and I don’t want this time to pass without truly enjoying it.

Any Office fans out there? (Haha I know, there’s literally a billion of us)! One of my favorite scenes in the enter series is this one: Good Old Days- Andy Bernard He says:

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the Good Old Days, before you actually left them.”

As he says this he flashes back to good times with his coworkers and moments that at the time didn’t seem very important, but he now realizes that those moments were in fact “the good old days.”

Ahhh… this is literally what I’m talking about here!!! I think in our current world where our heads are buried in our phones and we’re always on the go, leaping to “what’s next,” it’s so easy to let the important moments pass by unnoticed. In thinking about this, I’ve decided to do a few things to get back to being more present, and I hope some of these tips can help you too!

Things I’m going to do to be more present:

Put my phone away when out to dinner or when spending quality time with family and friends
Writing out or acknowledging the small or large blessings of the day that I’m grateful for
Leave my phone upstairs when spending quality time with my husband at night as we wind down
Worry less about posting on social media “in the moment” and actually enjoy the thing it is that I realllly want to post about
Listen better. Rather than worrying about the next thing on my to-do list, where I need to be, or who is texting me, I’m want to do a better job at listening when in conversation

PHEW- That’s a lot 😅

What is list screams to me is: Put your phone down, lift your head up, open your ears, be where you are, focus on what’s in front of you, worry less about what’s ahead and my favorite and the most important piece- count your blessings

I’d love to hear what some of you do to remain present! If you have something that works well for you, please drop it in the comments!

To the Good Old Days,

Aurora ✨

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Stay Strong Queen

September 24, 2019October 9, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

Stay Strong Queen

The point of this blog has always been to connect. In the beginning phases, it was meant to connect with just my blog readers and then slowly transformed into connecting with even more people through my Facebook Page , Pinterest, Twitter and now even Instagram! When I started this almost seven years ago, The Weekly Sparkle only reached a few subscribers each week as they’d get my blog subscription in their inbox or others who would google search topics on things they were thinking about and wanted to feel some kind of connection on. Well, a few posts back on my Facebook page, I shared this quote and the response to it was huge!! So many women messaging me saying, “Wow I really needed this today” and “Amen Sister!!” and my favorite- “Holy Crap, I didn’t know I needed that until I read it… then I read it 10 more times!”

To be honest, this is why I love posting things that inspire me! Half the time I’m not looking, and something so bold, and so real and so relate-able pops out at me and causes me to step back and say “WOW other people need to read this!”

So let’s get to this quote shall we?

All of us, men and women alike, have periods of our lives where we just feel like we’re not in the right head space, or being kicked while we’re down, or are just really going through it. Friends, I’ve been feeling this way a little bit lately, and instead of identifying it for what it is and stepping back to see how I can fix it, I just keep going and going and going! There’s something to be said here though– there is something so completely commendable to those of us who are going through something, yet we continue to show up, be an awesome mom/dad/sister/wife/husband/boss/caretaker/etc etc etc etc and not let this season of our life paralyze us or cause us to quit. There’s a weird strength that comes from knowing you’ve been through things, but you’re still standing and moving forward.

So my message here is two fold and it’s simple: it’s okay to not feel strong all the time, but it’s so extremely important to recognize when you need a break. Sometimes when I’m go go go, my own mental and physical well-being goes to the wayside. So a quote like this reminds me that it’s okay to hit the pause button. The biggest message here though… if you’ve been through (or are going through) some things, the really tough, hard to navigate things, and you’re still standing, moving, getting ish done… you are a rockstar and need to pat yourself on the back.

So to my QUEENS… Keep 👏 Doing 👏 What👏 You’re 👏 Doing!!!!!! You are the real MVP’s and deserve to take any and all of the time you need for yourself! Until then, keep grinding, stay strong and no quitting. ♥️

Cheers,

Aurora ✨

Community Giving · Dreams · Giving Back · Living with Intention · Motivation · Paying It Forward · Uncategorized

Give Back Lehigh Valley 2019

September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

WE DID IT!!!!!!!

This past Saturday, together with our family, friends and community, we were able to raised $18,500 for the MS Wellness Program at Good Shepherd here in the Lehigh Valley!! Good Shepherd’s MS Wellness Program, is a unique, bi-weekly program that offers activities to promote and maintain the health and well being of participants who are our neighbors here in the Valley. The goal of the MS Wellness Program is to enhance the quality of life for our participants and their families.

For our 6th Annual #GiveBackLehighValley Softball and Cornhole Tournament, we knew we wanted to rally together and focus on MS, especially with so many loved ones effected by this disease. The event was a hit!!! We’ve had more participants than ever, and know that Give Back 2020 is going to be even bigger!!!!!! Here are some pictures from the event:

From our amazing sponsors and donors, to volunteers, players and spectators… we cannot say THANK YOU enough for the amazing support behind this event! We have already announced that our Give Back 2020 event will be on August 22, 2019! If you’d like more information on how to get involved, please send me a message or write in the comments below!

Feeling all the grateful feels!

-Aurora

Counseling · Expectations · Journaling · Living with Intention · Relationships · Self Realization · Uncategorized

Balancing Other People’s Expectations

August 5, 2019August 26, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

Talk about a visual!

Lately I’ve been realizing how much of my own happiness/disappointments within myself are based around pleasing others or living up to their expectations of me. I find myself feeling stressed over what someone might think, how they took this or that, whether or not they think that is good enough, etc etc etc.

Sounds exhausting, right?

This is where my “SO WHAT” mantra comes in. So what if you’re not living up to others expectations of you, does that matter? Are their expectations realistic and do they match what’s important to you?

What actually matters is whether or not you are (or are becoming) the version of yourself that you went to be!! It only matters if you are living up to your own expectations. And guess what? If you’re not, you have the power, every-single-day, to change that. Remember that what others expect of us isn’t always about us- it’s can be about a fear, or an insecurity of theirs that they’re projecting on you or needing from you. Others expectations often have nothing to do with us specifically. And just how others do it to us, it’s important to remember that sometimes we can be doing that to others as well. It’s not easy to be mindful of, but if you are, you’re ahead of the curve!

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On the flip side, what’s even crazier to think, is that majority of the time, the expectations we think others have about us, don’t even exist! We are subconsciously making things “heavier” than they need to be! Somewhere along the line in our relationship other people, we may have developed a feeling of what they expect from us as friends, siblings, co-workers, partners, colleagues, acquaintances, etc etc etc. Most of the time, however, you’ll find, the things people love and value in you are a lot less complicated than what you think you have to live up to.

Again for those who need to read this again:

…the things people love and value in you are a lot less complicated than what you think you have to live up to.

Being honest, I read that for myself again, too.

To overthinking a little less, letting go of the heavy feelings, giving ourselves more grace and sharing that grace with others too…

Cheers,

-Aurora

American · Appreciation · Faith · Family · Living with Intention · Military · Uncategorized

Independence Day

July 4, 2019July 29, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

Days like today, I’m filled with such pride to be an American. I’m always proud of my country, but on days like this, where we are all united in celebrating it, it feels even more amazing.

Today we celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. Something accomplished hundreds of years ago, yet the FREEDOM still remains. To think of the impact this declaration would have on the millions of lives that came after it is nothing short of amazing. To know we live somewhere where we are truly FREE is such a blessing, especially when you know others around the world don’t live this way.

So in honor of all Americans who fought for this freedom, and those who don’t have the chance to exercise it where they live, I won’t take this day for granted. I’ll keep the fallen in my heart today and always, and pray for those who continue to fight for our freedom. We live in the Land of the Free, because of the Brave. Because of our, American, Brave.

Happy 4th of July everyone and God Bless America ♥️🇺🇸

-Aurora

Counseling · Faith · Family · Friendship · Goal Digger · Goals · Journaling · Living with Intention · Motivation · Self Realization · Uncategorized

Not Taking Others Words & Actions Personally = Freedom

June 9, 2019June 10, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

“She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom.” – The Scarlet Letter

Ah….. I know I always start my blogs this way when something really hits me, but, WOW!!!!! This perfectly sums up how I’ve been feeling lately- like this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders- yet, I had no idea how heavy the weight was until it was gone. It literally feels like I’m viewing my life differently and in a more positive light than even a few weeks ago. My mood feels different, my energy has shifted. I mean, I feel… happy.

I feel free.

Don’t get me wrong, I try to approach life and others in a positive light as much as anyone else might, but something shifted a few months (maybe even a year back), and I was experiencing all this negative self talk. I touched on this a few postings ago in, Let’s Talk Self Talk and I really feel like this blog was the tip of the Positivity Iceberg that I was about to meet.

(Positivity Iceberg, noun: a made up term I just created to define the beginning of feeing positive, and so much more is to come underneath it) 🙂

So what was this shift?

Let me start by telling you why the shift needed to happen. The feeling of letting others “stuff” effect your mood, actions and thoughts- this can be a killer. These feelings have been something weighing me down, making me second guess myself, keeping me up some nights and overall killing my positive way of thinking. When people would say something negative to me, or even about others, or make a “dig” to me or a side comment, it would really effect me. When did I start worrying so much about what others thought? Especially the negative things, and why did I start putting blame on myself and putting so much thought into their thoughts over my own truth?

After overanalyzing too many situations and nearing a breaking point, I said enough. It is EXHAUSTING to think in the ways I just described. Right? I’m sure many of you reading this are probably like,”Wow… Aurora that’s rough.” While others are thinking, “WOW, I thought I was alone in this.” This blog is for both of you.

About a month and a half ago, I began doing the work to figure out why I’ve felt this way, and how to stop it. Sometimes you need to walk through the tough things to figure them out, rather than avoid and suppress them, so that’s what I did- I began walking.

Friends, it’s every semi-corny quote you’ve ever read… it’s the ones you read and think, “that is so cheesy...” or “yeah great point but doesn’t apply to me.” And here they are:

“What people think of you is none of your business.”

“Nothing other people do is because of you, it is because of themselves.”

“You don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to.”

“A wise man once said nothing.”

“Most people barely know themselves, so what does it matter what they think of you”

GUYSSSS…. these cheesy quotes are not BS! They’re actually true… and I think talking through how I was feeling and applying them to my own life and circumstances caused some kind of light bulb to go off… It does not matter what people think of you, especially the bad things they are projecting onto you from you own experiencing. We all have our “stuff” : Our history, the way we were raised, the beliefs hardwired into us, our insecurities and judgements. Every single person has this “stuff” that they are possibly able to project onto you. Fitting you into THEIR narrative.

THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT A REALITY.

I’m gonna say it louder for the people in the back…

THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT A REALITY.

And until you believe that, to your core, you won’t be able to move beyond these thoughts. When I’m telling you I literally feel lighter, and happier, I mean it. The thoughts I felt were suffocating me at times I now see were projections onto me of others “stuff,” not necessarily truths that I have to over analyze within myself. Understanding this has changed my self talk, and has made me feel so happy and positive approaching each new day. It’s CRAZY!!!! I get teary eyed even thinking about it.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t times where you need to own making mistakes or accept the invite to an argument you should attend… I’m not talking about those things. More than I believe in self-love and acceptance, I also believe in owning your crap and apologizing/ talking through difficult things with people who matter to you. So in these instances, I think it’s important to remember it could matter what people think of you and that it’s right to discuss what needs working through. I also think it’s important to remember when we’re projecting our own “stuff” onto others. We all do it. All of us. But being aware of it is the first step to not projecting onto others when we feel the need to.

The other piece of this is that it’s okay to feel the words and actions of others, even if they sting, but the important piece is to remind yourself that those words and actions may be more about them. Will I find myself dwelling on these things in the future, sure, but I feel more confident and feeling them and letting them go, rather than holding onto them like I used to.

All in all, friends, this feeling is amazing. And if I didn’t take the time to pause, think and talk through it all, I don’t think I’d be here. It’s only more validating when I hear close friends say they notice a lightness in me- if that’s not proof, I don’t know what is. If you feel like you’re going through something similar, don’t hesitate to send me a message. I’m happy to share more in detail about my path to help you maybe get on your own.

Ah, I feel free. Absolute FREEDOM from the exhausting and overwhelming feelings I’ve had. And most of all, I feel proud that I took the steps to arrive here.

To feeling F-R-E-E,

-Aurora

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Our 2019 Give Back LV Softball Tournament Plays for MS!

May 23, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

Give Back LV Group Picture

Six years ago my husband and I started the Give Back Softball Lehigh Valley Softball Tournament to unite people in the Lehigh Valley community who wanted to Give Back and make a difference! We are excited to announce, our 2019 tournament benefiting the MS Wellness Program at Good Shepard!!!

When: Saturday Sept 14, 2019 (Rain Date Sept 21)

Time: 8:00am Registration begins! The day usually runs until about 5-6pm for the final teams playing!

Where: Hokey Park in Whitehall; 3417 Lehigh St. Whitehall, PA 18052

Cause: Multiple Sclerosis! Each year, we poll our family, friends and community and see what causes are near and dear to them. We know MS is a cause that many are passionate about, because so many of us know and love someone who suffers from MS.

What does the MS Wellness Program provide: Good Shepherd’s MS Wellness Program, is the first of its kind in Eastern Pennsylvania! It’s a unique, bi-weekly program that offers activities to promote and maintain the health and well being of their participants. The goal of the MS Wellness Program is to enhance the quality of life for our participants and their families.

Good Shepherd’s MS Wellness Program:

Encourages MS participants to live life to its fullest
Prevents isolation
Provides educational opportunities relating to health and wellness
Provides information and access to local MS support groups, resources and MS functions
Provides opportunities for socialization
Provides updates on research, education and new techniques relating to MS

Activities for MS Wellness Program participants:

MS Therapeutic Art Class
Gentle Yoga and Chair Zumba
MS education and resources
Development of strategies to address the hidden effects of MS
Recreational activities

The MS Wellness Program meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Allentown.

The National MS Society has designated Good Shepherd and a partners at Lehigh Neurology as a Comprehensive Care Center for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

So what are you waiting for!?!?! You need to join us in making this years event even more amazing than the last 5!!!!

All of our tournament information can be found right here! We need volunteers, event sponsors, umpires, raffle items and more!

This is a family friendly event!

Pets Allowed
Full teams not needed- we’ll add you to an existing team, or create your own!
Snacks, food, drinks and adult beverages included in the $40 sign up fee
Amazing Basket Raffle
50/50 Raffle
Tons of Lehigh Valley residents all united for one cause- to GIVE BACK!
Contact me today for how you can become a sponsor, form a team or volunteer!

http://www.GiveBackSoftball.com ⚾️

Let’s make 2019 the best year yet!!!!!

Give Back LV Joe and Aurora.jpeg

Counseling · Dreams · Entrepreneur · Faith · Family · Friendship · Goal Digger · Goals · Home · Journaling · Living with Intention · Motivation · Uncategorized

Let’s Talk Self Talk

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019 Aurora1 Comment

Pep Talks // illustration by Mari Andrew via Cup of Jo

Let’s Talk SELF TALK. Anyone else read the above and think… WOW… that IS how I talk to those people in my life! And now stop for a second, and ask yourself, “Do I always talk to myself this way?…” with understanding, excitement, happiness, patience etc etc etc. The answer is a hard NO in my book. We can be our own worst enemy when it comes to internal thoughts and self talk.

I’ll never be good enough
I don’t look the way I should
I hate my body
I didn’t do as well as others expect me to
There is no coming back from that mistake
I’m not strong enough
I’m not enough
I can’t control my stress
I’m not lovable
I’ll be alone forever
I’ll never be as good as them
I’m not perfect
I need to be perfect

How many more things could you add to the list if I left it open ended? I guarantee by the time I proofread this 2-3x I will have added a few more to the list. It’s SO EASY for us to have these self-defeating thoughts, because the world (now more than ever) always has reminders of how we can be better. How to be a better mom or dad, a better employee, how to get bigger boobs or that you need a flat stomach- everywhere you turn (ESPECIALLY social media), we are surrounded by others Highlight Reels of what “perfect” or “ideal” looks like. I talk about this in a past blog called: The Reel is not Real.

So in a world that is always showing us how we can be better, how do we keep our minds in check to what living a good life looks like to us personally?

We have to flip the script.

Yes, the script in your mind, the years of experiences that have molded you and your thoughts- it’s time to flip the script and remind yourself that you are a human and capable of amazing things, even if you’re not perfect, have made mistakes, don’t look this way or act this way, have this job, achieved this or that… IT DOES NOT MATTER. These things do not define your life and dwelling on them only robs you of living your BEST, happiest and fulfilled life.

You all know me, when I write, the topic usually has to do with something that is close to my heart and something either I or someone I know has or is going through. I think this is one topic I can say, ALL of us struggle with. We all have our own thoughts and preconceived notions of ourselves and what others expect of us. Lately, I’ve been in my own head with negative self talk; comparing myself to others success, doubting my growth and path in my exercise journey… honestly have thought, “why am I even doing this?”

YOU GUYS—- WHY do we do this? Not the “this” I’m talking about above, but THIS… as in what this entire blog is about. This self-defeating discussion with ourselves.

WHY do we do this?

Well friends, I’m committing to breaking the habit and here’s why: I am tired of suffocating moments of joy and successes by shining a light on my worries and insecurities. The truth is 99% of the things we over analyze, beat ourselves up over or stay up at night worrying about, don’t happen. This is a fact. So why not work on putting things in place to shake these thoughts as they start approaching and work toward more positive self talk all together?

Here are some tips on how to get started:

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I’m starting with the above, and one tip I’d like to add is: If you’re having a moment of overwhelming negative self talk and you need to kick it, phone a friend! There are a handful of people I know I can turn to when my self talk is all out of wack! These are the people who speak to you the way you would normally speak to others: patiently, kindly, lovingly, etc and they’re also your reminder of how much you are a rock star at life! Tap into these people- because the people we trust the most outside of ourselves is our tribe.

All in all, I want to work on challenging my negative self talk, figuring out where it’s coming from, and shifting my perspective to more positive thoughts and feelings. But just like with anything, in order to get better at it, you need to practice it daily, so I plan on doing just that!

Here is what I need to know you!

What struggles do you have with Self Talk?
Do you have an effective way of talking yourself out of Negative Self Talk?
Do you like helpful checklists like the above to reference in the future?

Thanks for the read, friends! Let’s try talking to ourselves the way we talk to others: with love, support, patience and excitement! We really do deserve it.

Cheers,

-Aurora✨✨

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Living with an Attitude of Gratitude

April 17, 2019April 17, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

Wow… you want to talk about having a grateful heart! This is something I try to do each morning: I think of a few blessings in my life before I even let me feet touch the ground. Each day may have challenges ahead, but when your heart starts off with feelings of gratitude, you’re already one step ahead of where you would be! It’s not easy to always remember, so if you’re an alarm setter, may I recommend this:

Haha– wait, don’t tell me you’ve never done that! You need to start titling your alarms if you haven’t done it before! 😹 Not only does it motivate you if you actually read it, but attempting to read something from mid-sleep has a better chance of waking you up! Trust me!!

Wanna hear what’s got gratitude on my mind? Keep on reading…

This week has left me with my heart feeling so completely full. A few days ago it was my birthday and the day before that I received this amazing award from our local United Way. There were many times in those 48 hours that I found myself getting a little teary-eyed, because so many people reached out with messages of love, congratulations and support! If getting the award wasn’t enough, pairing it with my birthday just put me into an emotional overload! I don’t care who you are, you can’t deny how amazing it feels on your birthday, in the world of social media, where you’re getting showered with shout outs and love just because it’s the day you were born!

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to say the Internet can be a scary place, but on days like your birthday, it’s gold!

And I’m not gonna lie, I really needed that.

I think you can see in some of my last blog posts that I’ve really been thinking inward and have felt challenged by somethings going on in my life. Getting a little bit of birthday love and congrats about my award for my community involvement was something I didn’t know I would need, but left me feeling so happy, and grateful!

Happiness can stem from a lot of things. The one thing that I’ll say is that some of the happiest moments of my life stemmed from when I focus on being grateful for what I have. So this week is a perfect example of that – my heart was so full and overwhelmingly grateful for all of the love I received that I couldn’t help but be happy. When you feel grateful and lead your life and each day focused on gratitude, the result will always be happiness.

And to kick it back to the beginning of this… you have to end how you began. FINISH each day with a grateful heart. As you lay down in bed at night, instead of thinking of your troubles, fears, worries and anxieties, take a moment to stop and reflect. Remember all of those things you were grateful for earlier that day? They’re still there! Jump back on that wave and remind yourself that you have WAY MORE to be grateful for that you have to worry about.

Feeling all the grateful vibes! Cheers!

-Aurora ✨✨✨

To read more about my Volunteer Service Award, click here!

Counseling · Dreams · Entrepreneur · Faith · Family · Friendship · Goal Digger · Goals · Home · Journaling · Living with Intention · Motivation · Networking · Self Realization · Uncategorized

Becoming Yourself Again

April 4, 2019 AuroraLeave a comment

“Keep Taking Time For Yourself Until You’re You Again”

YOWZZAAAA

Did this hit me like a ton of bricks or what? WARNING: Lots of honesty in this post. Over the last few months, I haven’t been feeling much like myself. And when I say like myself, I mean, the person whom I thought I was; the person people tell me I am: happy, cheerful, positive, go-getting, someone who starts each day with a bright perspective etc. I know I’ve talked about it here before, but I couldn’t 100% put my finger on what it was that felt different. All I knew for certain was that I wanted a change, because something just didn’t feel right. So these last few weeks, I began asking myself:

“When was the last time you felt most like you and what were the things in your life that were making you happy?”

I pulled out my handy note-book where I do my “brain dumps,” and began jotting things down. When I felt the most like me, I was:

Getting in some kind of physical activity multiple times a week (going for walks, going to the gym, karate etc).
Spending time each day talking to God and feeling a stronger connection with him.
Getting sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. My GOSH this is a big one!! My normal bedtime these days is anytime after 11:00pm. Even on ~~school~~ work nights! This is partially because I like spending time with my husband and catching up on our day, but it’s also partially because I have a hard time falling sleep.
Blogging regularly/connecting with readers.
Volunteering and giving back to my local community as often as I could
Eating/Drinking well. Less fast food, more fruits and veggies, less adult beverages, more Crystal Lite (hah, you expected me to say water?? NOPE)!
When I felt most like me I was Confident.
And lastly, spending time with people who inspire, motivate, challenge and excite me when I’m around them!

PHEW, what a list huh? Did any of those resonate with you too? I don’t feel like I have lost any of these completely, but they were all part of my normal routine and contributed to my overall happiness… my overall ME. So in the last few weeks, and especially this week, I’m starting to feel like I’m getting some of the old me back. It’s all of the above and making the time for them- not making excuses as to why they’re not a part of my life at the moment.

Fall in love with the process of becoming the very best version of yourself - Words of Wisdom

So I have to ask, when was the last time you felt like YOU? If the answer isn’t right now, I challenge you to have the courage to stop what you’re doing, and dig a little bit as to where you have been, and how to get yourself back.

My process began right before my last post, When You’re Tired, Rest. and is continuing each and every day. If there are things you need to pump the brakes on in your life to find you and your happiness again, do it. Break the plans, say “No” to things that get in the way of your path, have courage when thrusting yourself back into something that might no longer feel comfortable and r e l a x. It won’t all happen overnight, so remember to have patience with yourself. And if you need someone to help you figure out how, I’m only a few key strokes away.

To finding ourselves again,

-Aurora

This is the beginning of loving yourself. Welcome home. #selfdevelopment #sarahfreedom #sarah #freedom - Sarah Freedom Self Development - #beginning #Development #freedom #home #Loving #Sarah #sarahfreedom #selfdevelopment