The Beginning of a New Chapter
This post is the start of something new for me.
Not a polished “after” story. Not a how-to on healing. But a real-time series about rebuilding a life after loss…learning how to live again, rediscover who I am now, and choosing myself without guilt. If you’re a widow, someone starting over, or anyone who feels behind in life, this space is for you. So here it goes…
My 2026 Manifesto
I’ve spent a decade feeling like my life didn’t unfold the way it was supposed to, and I have been bitter about that.
Like I was behind. Like I missed something everyone else seemed to get easily. Like I had to work twice as hard just to feel okay, while other people moved forward without losing what I lost. I have carried sadness, lonliness, bitterness and resentment around for too long.
As I step into 2026, I don’t want to carry that story anymore. This is no longer my truth.
This year, I’m choosing a different way of living. I am choosing to step into the life I deserve to have and the person I am meant to be.
I’m no longer measuring my life by what didn’t work out, what I had to grieve, or how far ahead everyone else appears to be. I’m done shrinking myself to fit timelines that were never built for someone who had to start over. I am done feeling sorry for myself and my circumstances.
In 2026, I stop asking what’s wrong with me and start honoring what I’ve survived and all that I have overcome.
I’m releasing the shame I’ve been carrying for how I am, how I feel, and how long healing has taken. Nothing is embarrassing about rebuilding a life after it breaks. There is nothing weak about wanting more than survival. It is time. Enough is enough.
This is the year I stop chasing people and things who don’t choose me and weren’t meant for me.
I stop explaining myself to people who aren’t listening.
I stop proving my worth in hopes of being loved, understood, or included.
Instead, I am choosing peace over performance.
Consistency over chaos.
Self-respect over comfort.
I’m learning that bitterness isn’t something you force yourself to drop but instead it softens when your life begins to feel fuller. I won’t shame myself for noticing how unfair things have been. But I won’t let resentment steal my future anymore either. It is time to step out of the shadows I have been living in and step into what is next.
So, 2026 is about rediscovering who I am now.
Not who I was before everything changed.
Not who I had to be to raise my boys alone.
Not who people expect me to be.
But the woman standing here: wiser, softer, stronger, still becoming.
This year, I commit to caring for my body instead of criticizing it. I move because it helps me feel alive. I rest without guilt. I create because it keeps me connected to myself. I say yes to connection and no to emotional crumbs. I allow joy without apologizing for it. I allow myself to make mistakes, take chances and grow into the person I am meant to be,
I let myself be seen…slowly, safely, honestly.
I’m building a life that feels like mine, even if it looks quieter or different than I once imagined. I understand now that happiness isn’t a destination you arrive at one day, no matter how badly I want it to, but rather it’s a series of small, honest choices made again and again. And I am choosing me.
I don’t need to be fully healed to begin.
I don’t need permission to want more.
I don’t need to go back to become whole.
In 2026, I choose myself. Not dramatically, not perfectly, but consistently.
This is my year of becoming.
And this series is where I begin.
So, What’s Coming Next?
In this series, I’ll be sharing:
- what healing actually looks like after loss
- how I’m rediscovering who I am now
- the glow-up that happens quietly, from the inside out
- navigating loneliness, comparison, and new friendships
- choosing joy without guilt
If you’re rebuilding, becoming, or beginning again… I’m glad you’re here.
Widow with Wings 
sending positive vibes to you Denise! You are such a strong person. Michelle