Over the years, I have learned that for the fields to blossom and turn green again, they must first endure long seasons of rain.

Sometimes, those rains arrive as fierce storms: they carry streams of mud, splashing everything in their path, drenching you the moment you step outside. They are chaotic and uncomfortable.

Yet today, I am grateful for those seasons of discomfort, for they have taught me that we also need to cleanse ourselves from within.

We must allow the tears to fall so that new flowers can bloom inside us. When I reflect on who I am, I like to imagine myself as a garden that—over time, with the right care and good company—continues to blossom after every rainy season.