What started off as a 4-day trip to Vegas to celebrate a bestie’s bachelorette turned into an inspiring 2-week journey of soul searching.

While it was fantabulous to catch up with my girls, the hustle and bustle in the “city that never sleeps” sent my body into sensory overload and it was shouting at the top of its lungs for serenity.

As if the Universe heard my body’s plea for balance, 72 hours after I unpacked my bags, I packed it right back up again and crammed it in my car along with 4 teenagers I had never met before…..As I took on the role of chaperone for a youth pilgrimage to Portland!

You’re probably thinking I’m crazy right?

Who in their right mind would volunteer to be stuck in a vehicle with a bunch of rowdy teenagers for a 9hr drive there and back, and to hangout with a group of 13 of them 24/7 for the next 4 days.

Well these youth ended up being an incredible inspiration on the trip.

Their innocence and genuineness was a breath of fresh air.
Their sense of responsibility and respect waaaay surpassed my original expectation.
And their dedication to their faith plus their unwavering hope in life left me humbled and quite frankly…ashamed (because my courage and strength is much weaker in comparison).

Pilgrimages are usually filled with lots of inspiration. And my biggest AHA happened……walking the labyrinth at The Grotto.

I’d read about labyrinth’s before and have seen them in movies, but this was the first time I ever got to experience walking through one.

Before I set foot on the labyrinth, I tried to clear my mind so that I could really feel any emotions, thoughts and fears that came up.

At about the 3-minute mark into my silent, meditative walk, tears started welling up in my eyes.

Why?

Because an overwhelming strength came over me, reassuring me that my far from perfect life would be ok – my dad’s illness, my family issues, my new business venture and my love life would all be A-OK.

That my deepest internal struggles…the ones that were limiting me from living my fullest potential…were part of my healing and I was on a journey of radical transformation.

As I stood in middle of the labyrinth looking up into the baby blue sky…

It HIT me like a ton of bricks.

The Universe was telling me that I was going to get to my destination, but instead of taking the shortest route there, I was taking a lengthy winding path full of twists and turns.

A path that sometimes put me distally further away from my grand finale. But yet, one-step closer to the finish line.

That life is a journey and not a destination.
And as challenging as it is sometimes, I need to trust that everything happens for my greater good.

H.O.P.E was the recurring theme of my trip. And my biggest take-away was to not lose it.

So if you are struggling with something in your life – family problems, health struggles, job issues, worries of any kind…

Don’t lose hope!

As always, don’t forget to share this post with someone who could use some support.
And In the comments below, I’d love to hear what helps keep your HOPE strong when all you want to do is give up.