Bloom

Where do I even start? 

This book was amazing. I cried multiple times, laughed multiple times, and felt the constant conflict between not wanting to put the book down and not wanting to finish it. 

It was one of those books where I finish it feeling inspired, uplifted and reminded that there is so, so much beauty in this world. 

I stumbled upon this blog, Enjoying the Small Things, probably 6 or so months ago. As I was reading through Kelle's posts, I got hooked. Every single one was powerful, pulling me in with a voice that seemed to be speaking straight to me, and sending me away with the inspiration to go live my day, and really live it. 

Kelle is the mother of two beautiful little girls. The younger of the two, Nella, has Down Syndrome. They didn't know this until she was born. Nella's Birth Story is probably the single, most beautiful blog post I've ever read. When I saw that Kelle had a book coming out, I could not be more excited. If this book was even half as amazing as her blog posts, I knew I would love it. So I preordered that baby and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. 

I was not disappointed. 

I would recommend this book to anyone. The story so beautifully brings awareness to Down Syndrome, but it goes beyond that as well. Just as it says on the cover, it's about finding beauty in the unexpected. It's about embracing this life for all of the ups and downs that might come with it. 

Something that I am beginning to truly appreciate is the beauty of feeling. Chances are, not every day is going to be a good day. You might not wake up every morning feeling the excitement of a new day. So when you feel bad, sad, disappointed, cheated, hurt, let yourself feel. It's kind of incredible that sometimes, an emotion can be so real that it becomes physical. Embrace it, I say. And remember, that it will pass. 

Because before you even know it, you'll be remembering that feeling as a memory. You'll be looking at yourself and realizing that you've come full circle. And then you get the beauty of the other sort of feeling, the happiness. How amazing are the moments when you're laughing so hard that your cheeks hurt, walking around with a smile and not even realizing it, or feeling the butterflies before an exciting event? The lows might be low, but they make the peaks even higher. 

One of the things that I loved the most about Bloom was the powerful message of the importance of friendship. "The Net," as Kelle calls it, "the ever-present existence of one another, standing by, ready to catch any one of us who might be falling." 

"Because we are women, and with that comes spunk and vigor and the need to be heard and validated. With that comes the beautiful storm of strong opinions and the force with which we express them. There is pain. But, underneath, there is so much love. There is the need to answer a call when it comes, and that need and desire to hold each other up-it's truly a beautiful thing." 

To my Net, thank you. I am so fortunate to have the most amazing support system to pull me out of any off day. And even better, to enjoy the good ones. To take this life, and really live it.