Grateful for the Journey....

While pulling together some photos for an upcoming ad, I stumbled across this picture. It literally stopped me and my heart in its tracks! It's a photo of me and my husband (although not at the time!) six years ago, building our first-ever dance studio! I can't believe how YOUNG we both look...babies! It makes me smile to look at our faces and think what the "me" today would tell those two.... The up's and down's, struggles and successes that will occur within those walls and in our lives. That this little space and school will become an empire. It will become two schools (and eventually more), one of which is a two-story, mega-complex of dance and fitness in the heart of a downtown. That 100's of amateurs and pro's lives will be changed. That we will spend nights on-end pacing and frustrated. that we will experience utter joy, pride, and happiness beyond our wildest dreams. That while we will meet 100s upon 100s of people, we will also be blessed to encounter a few who will become more than just staff and students, but part of our very hearts and lives. There is so much I would tell these two "kids". And yet, I guess I wouldn't. Life's gifts to us are the unexpected moments of laughter, friendships that we never see coming, and the struggles that stregnthen and define us. And if we are truly lucky, photos like this that cause us to pause and reflect, and just be so incredibly grateful for the journey....