.vulnerability.

"If we threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back."

-Regina Brett

One of the biggest things I have learned on this journey is vulnerability. Whether I have liked it or not, I have had to learn to be vulnerable with myself, with my children, and with others. I have cried in front of perfect strangers, lost my temper at the slightest of things, and gotten to the end of my rope more than a few times.

Through this vulnerability I have had to look inward and stare my pride, my fears, and my weaknesses straight in the face. And through it all, I have come out a better person. Working through this and embracing it has allowed me to share our journey, to allow others a glimpse inside, and allowed for some pretty incredible things to happen.

I have been amazed at the people who have emailed or called or have come up to me and mentioned how the blog has touched them. How reading through some of my weakest moments has created an "aha" in their lives or helped them cope or deal with something going on in their lives. 

And as cool as it is to see our story reaching and touching other people, each time this happens it teaches me something new.

I know not many people are necessarily walking the journey of special needs or dealing with the struggle of raising two little boys with significant disabilities, but everyone has some type of struggle and hurt in their lives. Everyone has a "joubert syndrome" in their life.

It's been amazing for me to hear some stories of what someone is going through that I had NO IDEA about. The turmoil and struggle behind their smiling faces.

Our struggle is hard to hide because it is so outwardly apparent. I cannot hide the fact that my boys aren't walking, or can't go run with their friends on the playground. And in someways that has helped me deal with it because I can't hide behind a smile. And also because I can't keep my mouth shut or my tears away :)

But everyone has something. 

And honestly, the stories, the friends, the family that have opened up about their "joubert" have helped us to not feel so alone.

So many times I will feel so isolated, so alone. Because there are very few people walking the same journey we are. But then I will hear a friend talk about their infertility, or the diagnosis they received, or the broken relationships that they have.

And then I realize, we are not alone....

We are all on this journey of life together.

We are all working through unmet expectations.

Through unrealized dreams.

And without the vulnerability and relationships around us, we are alone.

As our story continues to unfold and this New Year begins, I hope that this vulnerability stays and that I can always remember that we are all in this together. Special needs or not, there is always a "joubert" and a way to walk the journey together.

And that's what makes life so beautiful.