January 5th, 2026

The Woman You Were Meant To Be

“Many women today feel a sadness we cannot name. Though we accomplish much of what we set out to do, we sense that something is missing in our lives and—fruitlessly—search ‘out there’ for the answers. What’s often wrong is that we are disconnected from an authentic sense of self.”

Emily Hancock (UNKNOWN)

“Has this ever happened to you? You are washing your face, and suddenly you do not recognize the woman staring back at you. ‘Who is this?’ you ask the mirror on the wall. No reply. She looks vaguely familiar but bears little resemblance to the woman you were expecting to see there. Psychologists call this phenomenon a ‘displacement of self.’ and it usually occurs during times of great stress (which for many of us is an everyday occurrence).”

“I had this moment in 2017 and suddenly didn’t recognize me. Parts of me were woven into the woman I saw, but the authentic me was hidden. I now look in the mirror and see my true authentic self. Wow, I love this woman!!!” (Heather Houston 1-5-22)

“Even more transformed as I look in the mirror today with no other chatter in my head. Just acceptance and peace. I a mso thankful for the work I have put in to get to this space.” (Heather Houston 1-5-26)

“But what’s wrong? What is this sadness we cannot name?”

“I have learned there is truly nothing wrong, just what is so. What was so for me then was that I finally recognized I was in an abusive marriage with no end in sight unless I ended it. I also was aware that my promise to myself as a parent was to stay married until my children graduated high school. At which point, I would leave the marriage to begin newly. Everything was beginning to come to a head and I began to actually see the darkness and sadness in the woman in the mirror.” (Heather Houston 1-5-22)

“Perhaps the heart of our melancholy is that we miss the woman we were meant to be. We miss our authentic selves.”

“Turn away from the world this year and begin to listen. Listen to the whispers of your heart. Look within. Your silent companion has lit lanterns of love to illuminate the path to Wholeness. At long last, the journey you were destined to take has begun.”

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–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 5 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.