Life is filled with many twists, turns and detours. Sometimes the destination you were once heading towards is not the place where you are meant to be, so you just have to enjoy the ride and remain open; open to life, to love, to growth, and to all the possibilities…

One day all of the pieces will fit. You will realize why some chapters had to close and certain people had to go. You will realize why things had to happen the way they did and why you had to go through the struggles you went through. It can be difficult to accept while in the midst of it all, but the only way forward is to trust the process. During seasons of change and uncertainty, you need to believe. Believe that when you don’t get what you want, you are being prepared for something better. Trust that all things are working for you and not against you. Believe that one day, when you reflect back on your life, it will all make sense. And one day, you will wake up, and ALL OF THE PIECES WILL FIT.

-Charlene Lobarbio

Let go, and let go with grace;

More love, blessings and goodness

will fill that space.

Let go of the things that are

beyond your control;

Make room for more light

& the things that feed your soul.

The Universe will give you

exactly what you need;

So move forward in faith,

always believe.

More days filled with

laughter and joy will come;

Like after every dark night,

we are welcomed by the Sun.

— Charlene Lobarbio

This past year has been a sobering reminder of the beauty and fragility of life. Today is a gift, and tomorrow is never promised. So love, and love fiercely. Forgive, and forgive often. Fail, and fail forward. Dream, and dream big. Because in the end, it is better to have lived a life that tested your courage, your resilience, your capacity to fall and rise above it all. It is better to have loved and lost, tried and failed, than to have never tried at all.

— Charlene Lobarbio

We who care too much and feel too deeply.

Who are overly forgiving and stay longer than we should.

We who dare to be vulnerable and bear the weight of other people’s pain.

Who continuously strive to help others, even during times when we are the ones in need of being helped.

Know that this is not our weakness, this is our gift.

We are light in the midst of darkness; a source of compassion in a cold, cruel world.

We must always remember that the world needs our softness, our understanding, our love.

But we must also remember that we, too, are deserving of all those things.

We, too, are deserving of the energy we bring.

— Charlene Lobarbio

I am learning to live between effort and surrender.
I do my best and hope for what I want,
but I embrace the possibilities of the future
with an open mind and an open heart.

Through the art of surrender,
I move from outer turmoil to inner peace.
By letting go of outcomes and expectations,
I transform a painful experience into a positive,
fruitful endeavor.

When fear gets the best of me, I surrender to the Universe.
When I release my resistance to the Universe,
I am able to make space for -and receive- all the
things that want to flow into my life for my highest good.

— Charlene Lobarbio