Before I write anything else here, I think I need to say thank you.

Thank you to the people who loved me.

Thank you to the people who challenged me.

Thank you to the people who sat with me when there was nothing to say and nothing to fix.

Thank you to the people I met only briefly, who probably have no idea that something they said — or simply something about their presence — stayed with me.

Thank you to the opportunities I was given, especially the ones I never imagined myself saying yes to. Thank you to the doors that opened at just the right time, and even to some of the ones that closed before I understood what would come next.

Thank you to the paths I thought I would take, and the ones I somehow wandered onto instead.

Thank you to the relationships that lasted, and the ones that didn’t.

Thank you to the old friendships, old loves, and people I once thought would be part of my life forever. Some of you showed me what love and friendship could be. Some of you showed me what they shouldn’t be. Others taught me that loving someone doesn’t always mean they are meant to remain in my life.

Thank you to the endings that broke my heart and the ones that quietly made room for something new.

Thank you to the people who saw something in me before I could see it in myself. The mentors, teachers, coworkers, patients, strangers, friends, and family who offered a word, a question, an opportunity, a little bit of wisdom, or simply their presence.

There are people who helped bring me here who probably have no idea they did.

Thank you to the ordinary moments that turned out not to feel so ordinary.

Thank you to my husband for loving all of me. To my parents and brother for their unconditional love and support. To the friends who became family along the way.

Thank you to my mentor for playing such a pivotal role in this journey, and to my CPE educators and colleagues for welcoming me with open arms and creating space where I can grow, question, and become.

Thank you, quite literally to everyone — whether you loved me, wounded me, or were somewhere in between. And to every life that has touched mine, and every life that touched theirs.

And most importantly, thank You, God — for everything.

I can feel something shifting in me. I don’t quite know what it is yet or where it’s leading me. I don’t even know what this blog will look like or what will find its way onto these pages.

But maybe I don’t need to know yet.

I just know that I feel deeply grateful to be here.

And before I wander any further, I simply wanted to say —

thank you.

See you along the way,

Tereesa