2024 was one of the hardest years of my life. It felt like everything and everyone was stripped away from me, leaving me with nothing but myself—my raw, broken, empty self. It was as if I had been thrown into the deepest pit of pain, emptiness, and nothingness. But in that darkness, I found something incredible: I found myself.

They say you don’t learn much during the good times, and I’ve learned the truth of that this year. Sorrow has a way of sharpening your understanding of life, of yourself, and of everything around you. What I experienced this year was not just pain but a breaking—a complete shattering of the old me. But through that breaking, I was reborn into something better, stronger, and more real.

This journey didn’t begin in 2024. It started last year, in 2023, when I realized the old methods and beliefs I clung to were no longer serving me. I knew I needed to let go of everything and everyone outside of myself and do the inner work that I’d been avoiding for so long. It wasn’t easy. There were moments when the pain was so unbearable I thought I might not survive it. But I did. And what I discovered on the other side was nothing short of liberating.

This year, I faced the core of who I am. I stopped looking outward for validation, healing, or happiness. Instead, I went inward. I sat with my pain, my brokenness, and my emptiness, and I learned how to love myself through it. I learned that I don’t need anyone or anything to make me feel whole. Even in my darkest moments, I realized I have everything I need within me—and God has been with me every step of the way.

As I say goodbye to this year, I won’t pretend it was a great one. It wasn’t. It was horrible. But it was also transformative. This year, I discovered my worth, my purpose, and my path in a way I never had before. I regret the time I lost, and I sometimes wish this awakening had come sooner. But I know that everything happened exactly as it was meant to.

2024 taught me the most important lesson of all: I don’t need to escape into anything or anyone. I am enough. God is enough. And I trust that He has only the best in store for me moving forward.

So here’s to 2025—a year where I will walk forward with clarity, strength, and the unshakable knowledge of who I am. Goodbye, 2024. You were painful, but you were also a gift. Thank you for breaking me so I could become whole.