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Author: HeartStories Guest

Tears of Thankfulness

Tiffany Parker HeartStories post

These past few years have been some of the hardest I have had to endure.

In 2012 I was diagnosed with a debilitating and incurable disease called Ulcerative Colitis, after months of intense suffering. My life following the diagnosis consisted of doctor’s visits, hospital stays and my life’s only goal became survival.

This is a complete 180 from the person I previously was.. An ambitious go-getter living in Southern California working in the cut throat world of the music industry.

I had dreams. Big ones.

I had a vision for my life and for the world, and I would stop at nothing to make it happen. I worked long nights, early mornings, ate junk food on the go, and lived in a constant state of stress. I had lost sight of what was important and began ignoring the cry in my heart to slow down and get my priorities aligned. Well, my body …

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We grow…Together

Having girlfriends is the best – laughter and stories, deck nights and drinks, safe places to share your heart. But they can also be messy and confusing, especially when you feel mistreated. Or maybe when you mistreated.

I’ve been hurt. I’ve hurt – knowingly and unknowingly. Both don’t feel good.

For too many years, I didn’t invite people into my deep heart. I didn’t show that I cared for them too much. I didn’t allow their care for me to soak in too much. Why? I didn’t want to feel disappointed or sad or upset – with myself, with them. It felt safer that way, better that way, less risky. But you know what? It was lonely.

When you don’t have anyone to share your glad, mad, sad and scared with, you’re left living and learning and loving with your heart spaces, alone.

We weren’t created …

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Why Conflict Matters: Entering Into The Tunnel Of Chaos In Our Friendships

It started as just a misunderstanding, really. I said something careless. She took it the wrong way. And we both ended up feeling confused and hurt by the interaction.

I’m sure it’s happened to you, too, probably by that friend that you think of like a sister. Because those closest to us have the most power to wound us. That’s just the way it works.

But entering into the conflict? Addressing it and having the hard conversation? Well, that’s tough. Really tough. In his leadership book, Axiom, Bill Hybels calls it “entering into the tunnel of chaos” and I think that’s the perfect description because you’re going to put yourself and your feelings out there but you don’t know what’s going to happen or how the other person is going to respond. And that’s scary.

Too many times, I’ve chosen to ignore the hurt or the misunderstanding and pretend it didn’t happen. And sometimes, …

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Conversation

There were 8 of us that night.

4 couples crowded around a tiny table in my friend Steve’s kitchen. Steve had invited us to join him and his wife for “wine and cheese and good conversation”.

None of us knew each other really. We knew Steve and Jackie but that was it. So why did we say yes?

Because we had all heard stories about the magic that happened around that table.

Stories of connection, and confession. Stories of new friendships, new discoveries, and new ideas being stoked like a fire. Stories of life-giving listening and side-splitting laughter.

All of these intentional conversations were brought on by Steve’s thoughtful questions. Questions that pushed past the small talk and drew all of us in for one authentic dialogue with eight individual voices.

After experiencing something so special and sacred, it’s hard to go back to small talk.

I started noticing small groups having a hard time pushing …

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To the strangers.

To the strangers.

I know some great people. Unique people, people who want to change the world. They have challenged me in many, many ways.

But then there are the strangers.

The ones whom I haven’t met. I don’t know their name, and many I have never even spoken with. But I’ve seen them, here and there, and in those small encounters, they have unknowingly helped shape my perspective on life. They are the people who fill those moments you remember forever. Sometimes you know why, they have done something that many people have noticed, that many people will remember. But sometimes you don’t know why they made such an impact….you just know something about them was different.

To the woman in the dressing room the other day, who laughed with her little girl as they tried on bathing suits. She laughed with her daughter when a suit didn’t fit, and laughed with her daughter when one did fit.

“This one doesn’t …

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Real Change

Let me paint you a picture: Imagine me, in the middle of 2013, sitting on the phone with my business coach. I broke down — like a baby (you know…the ugly cry.) I was wondering what happened to the past few months of my life. On the outside I was doing everything right, successful biz, amazing hubby and adorably crazy kids, but I came to the realization that yes — I had an amazing life, I just wasn’t living it. 

I won’t go into all of the sad details of me sitting on the couch with my laptop glued to my legs and my kids demanding attention that I just wasn’t giving them.  I think you get the picture. It sucked. 

So if that aha wasn’t big enough, I also ran across the book ‘Hands Free Mama’. It changed my world. It gave me a clear picture of what my kids saw as …

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