Broken. We are all broken in some way. Some of us experience more broken-ness than others. Some of us, less. I have worked hard to rebuild what was broken in my life, ultimately coming out stronger and less broken than when I started. Living an unbroken life is a process. For me, it took many hours of journaling, talking, painting, and creating to get to the point where I realized: the moment I thought my life was breaking was the moment I began my journey to become whole again.

And so, I challenge the idea of BROKEN. I share with you my broken-ness. I ask you to think about society’s labels—“broken family,” for one—and whether or not these labels are realistic and true. For me, raising my children in what has traditionally been seen as a “broken family” allows me to redefine family. The quintessential “broken family” is actually providing a better role model for my children than a whole family could have. What is important—always—is the love. And the happiness. Neither of those things should go missing in a family.

Examine the idea of BROKEN. Challenge it. Fight for what is broken in your life because chances are, it is not broken at all, and there is happiness and strength to be found in our broken places.