When I first created the blog Babies, Boardrooms & Ballgames it was to share my experiences and provide encouragement for the new mom and football coach’s wife because that lifestyle is what I knew best and loved.

So what happens when the mom and coach’s wife who is known for providing encouragement to others is the one needing encouragement?

I would have never predicted that one year after I started my blog about thriving and surviving as a coach’s wife that I would be a part of a football family that experienced one of the most tragic situations in college football. I’ve always been open and honest with all of you—so I’m going to be real honest. I needed a break. It was challenging to post encouraging things and inspiring things when I was just going through the motions. It was an emotional football season followed by a challenging recruiting season with a toddler.

As soon as I thought I was ready to start sharing again with all of you, another unimaginable tragedy happened. My best friend’s precious 3-month old daughter unexpectedly passed away. This situation truly shook me to my core. Once again, life took an unexpected turn that affected people I love. It just didn’t feel right to be sharing my experiences as a mother when my close friend was and still is suffering from the pain of losing a child.

The unexpected thing about tragedy is that it causes you to do a lot of soul searching. You start to realize what’s really important and questioning life and your purpose. I realized I made a mistake when I stopped sharing with all of you. My life isn’t perfect...but it’s real. I’m not going to continue to wait until things get “better” or easier because if I’ve learned one thing from my time away it’s that life is short and the tough and imperfect moments (which I’ve had a lot of this year) are the ones to be shared—because you never know what struggle someone is facing and who needs encouragement.

Lastly, thank you to all of you who reached out to me during my absence from blogging. It’s means more than you know and I appreciate your kindness.

So here’s to the imperfect moments, learning from them and continuing to share more of them.

Love,

Jessica