20 Comments
User's avatar
Victoria's avatar

Serena, this is such a beautiful example of grace and resilience. Three wise, inspiring women, inspiring each other and us as readers! Thank you. I'm saving Cameron's words and may add this to my treasured quotes. These are words that are a good reminder for ourselves, too, when we tend to second-guess ourselves.

Thank you so much for your kind words recommending Carer Mentor: Empathy and Inspiration. From one heart to another, I'm very glad we're connected! xo

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

Thanks, @Victoria. I love how you just applied that to ourselves - we can believe in our own strength and resilience, rather than our fragility, too. So grateful for your continual inspiration too.

Expand full comment
Victoria's avatar

❤️ Awww, thanks, Serena.

Expand full comment
Jane Anderson's avatar

I'm sorry for the breakup because that's devastating for everyone in her care circle, but what a gift to have her demonstrate strength and resilience. More and more you are witnessing her ability to live and grow into adulthood grace.

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

@Jane Anderson it was a painful breakup (and weird as a parent - I never got to say goodbye to Tommy either!) but it was an unexpected gift to see how she handled it. And now she has a lot more friendships, which is what we hoped for. Thanks for the encouragement!

Expand full comment
Jane Anderson's avatar

Its hard to stand back and in confidence say, "Well. Let's see what God does with this one. "

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

I agree, Jane!

Expand full comment
JoDee Luna's avatar

What an encouraging post filled with hope and resilience! Having struggled with an eating disorder in high school and for years afterwards, I well remember the depression and many other debilitating symptoms. Your daughter’s personal growth is astounding! Yours is as well! What a gift you are to each other.

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

Thanks JoDee! You get it! Thanks for your encouragement.

Expand full comment
The Hollow Girl's avatar

So happy to have found you, as a Mum of three (A unique challenge in itself) and one daughter who moves with grace through some traumatic experiences, I need to find the grace to let go and trust this process again and your words have given me hope.

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

So nice to meet you! I'm so glad to connect with you and that you've found hope here. Keep coming back - this journey is not for the faint of heart!

Expand full comment
Margaret Ann Silver's avatar

This is so familiar: "I was more tuned into Ellie’s stumbling blocks than her resilience." I'm the same. One of my oldest daughters had a setback recently and I was waiting for everything to fall apart. Instead, she seems to be coping. I'm so proud of her resilience, but not used to it yet.

Also, this is amazing: "Inspired by the lack of effective solutions for her condition, she has decided to explore the field of medicine to help others." How beautiful.

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

I'm so happy to hear that your daughter is coping better than you expected. I can absolutely relate to that feeling of disorientation - "wait, you can do this more than I thought!"

Yes I cannot believe that Ellie is considering pre-med. She's reading anatomy textbooks for fun!

Also - so sorry for the late reply. I've been offline for a few weeks as things have been quite hectic around here. Glad to reconnect.

Expand full comment
Margaret Ann Silver's avatar

“Reading anatomy textbooks for fun” makes me smile! I don't have a scientific bone in my body, but my oldest is taking biology right now and was explaining the ins and outs of a body part with enthusiasm the other day :).

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

I bet our daughters would get along well if they ever met!

Expand full comment
Margaret Ann Silver's avatar

😊 What a lovely thought. Me too.

Expand full comment
Cindy Ojczyk's avatar

How wonderful that you’ve found such wise support. You’ve given your daughter the best gift of all - that she can be her own hero while you can be her support. Not easy but worth it!

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

Thanks, @Cindy Ojczyk. I’m so grateful for wise friends like Cameron. It’s taken us a while to get there, but yes, now I’m learning about empowering young adults like Ellie to believe in her own strength and ability to solve problems. Definitely not easy, but it is paying off. Thanks for the encouragement.

Expand full comment
Marissa Bondurant's avatar

Such an encouragement for me today.

Expand full comment
Serena Menken's avatar

Aww I’m so glad, @Marissa Bondurant!

Expand full comment