“Absence is not always rejection, sometimes it’s redirection.”

There are holidays when the chair you used to occupy is empty.
Not because you vanished, but because someone else closed the circle.
The old self might ache, question, replay scenes, wonder what you did wrong.
But the wiser self knows: not all doors are meant to open right now.

Your worth is not determined by who includes you.
Your peace is not dependent on being chosen.
Sometimes the greatest gift is being released from a room that no longer fits your growth.

If the door stays shut,
let it stay shut.
You are not meant
to shrink yourself thin.

Gentle Practice:
Say quietly: “My value does not depend on belonging where I am not welcomed.”

-Kerri-Elizabeth-
Tomorrow, we explore the other side, when you don’t want to invite someone, and how to do that without guilt.