HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
A Letter for the Thoughts That Loom( Continued)
RACHEL FIORELLO
I can do hard things. I know this because I’ m already doing one of the hardest things. I’ ve kept going on days I didn’ t think I could. I’ ve made dinner, helped with homework, cleaned up scraped knees, continued the magic of making each day count and I’ ve done that while my own heart was broken in pieces. If I can do that, I can also trust that we can all handle whatever our future holds.
Living afraid isn’ t living. Their childhood is happening right now, not in some future I may or may not be there for. If I spend it worrying about all of the what-ifs, we all lose … even though I’ m still here. They need to see me make hard decisions, enjoy life, and to show them that even after tragedy, happiness is still worth reaching for.
Yes, the thoughts will probably still loom. I don’ t think they’ ll ever go away( I’ m sure that’ s true for any parent!). But I’ m learning to acknowledge them, think through them, and see past them without letting them take over.
Their dad didn’ t get to stay. But I am here. Today, right now, I am here. And I’ m not just living for them.
I’ m learning to live for all of us.
Rachel Fiorello is a mother, writer, and certified baby and toddler sleep consultant. She started writing Letters for the Hard Days( lettersfortheharddays. substack. com) as a way to express her thoughts after experiencing significant loss in her life. Rachel ' s late husband, Matthew Fiorello, was a member of the Palm Beach Bar Association and was tragically killed in 2019. She writes in hopes of helping others realize that they, too, are not alone.
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 16