4 Years Ago - and My World Changed
My daughter reminded me yesterday that we had an anniversary of sorts coming up on November 12th. It was 4 years ago that our world was turned on its head - and not in a good way.
Monday, November 12, 2018, was the date that our house was SWAT’ed. It is an event that still burns firmly in my mind. Not only did we go through the trauma of having a SWAT team descend on our home, but we also lost the feeling of security and safety in our own house. We lost the innocence of my daughter’s youth. We lost the experiences she will never have. We lost a lot.
We also gained a lot. Through this event, I discovered how much my work family cares. I found out how strong I could truly be. I realized that this event didn’t have to define my life, but could move me to be more positive and make changes. Our State Representative helped lead the change to make a SWAT event a felony in Wisconsin and I had the honor to testify in front of the legislative panel that made it happen.
My family will always have the consequences of the SWAT - from not being able to walk for high school graduation, to being allowed to attend a senior year in high school actually in school but attending remotely, to being blamed for an event that you were a victim of.
At the end of the day, there are parts of my life that are stronger because we survived this event. There is still an ache in my “Mom” heart for my daughter, but loving her unconditionally and helping her move forward to find her true purpose in life is definitely the rainbow after the storm. What really helped me through was practicing being Thankful-Grateful-Blessed daily. No matter what happens in life, it is a choice to wallow in the negative or focus on the positive. I am choosing to be positive. I am choosing to talk to myself rather than listen to the negative story in my head.
No matter what happens in your life, remember the only thing you can control is yourself - your reaction, your response, and how you process it. Focus on being Thankful-Grateful-Blessed every day.
