Meryl Hartstein, Survivor & Speaker

A Purpose

Our soul and our spirit is connected on some level. In my opinion, the soul of a person reflects their personality and their identity. While their spirit is what connects then to their higher power. Either way, both need to be nurtured in order to live a life of meaning. For me, finding gratitude was the lock that opened my door spiritually. Once I let go of the why me attitude, I was able to make peace with myself and count my lucky stars for all that I did have and all that I would have in the future. No longer did I feel sorry for myself. I felt that I had so much more. I wanted to pass it forward. I knew I could connect with other people on so many levels. It was my time to spread the word that there is hope after adversity. I finally had my purpose.

 

Don't Ever Tell!

My parent's kept secrets. "Don't ever tell anyone what goes on within these four walls" were the words I grew up hearing. They were creative liars. They were master manipulators. I saw the truth from a very early age. It probably would have been beneficial for me if I didn't. When you are a child growing, you're parents are your role models. For me, I felt the most comfortable living a life of lies like they did. When I grew up, I had to still live my life in the same way due to the fact that I never knew anything different. When my life began to unravel, I accumulated enough secrets that the "four walls" of my world were crumbling. I needed to tell. As loud as I could, I began telling my story. Yes, my first husband was a drunk. I had survived cervical cancer. That's right, my darling daughter was a drug addict. I can proudly say that my grand-baby has special needs. How liberating it is to tell, to share to inspire others that are going thru similar adversities. If we could all unmask our secrets, they would no longer shame us. They would only be additional life lessons that make us who we are.