Never Give Up

Never Give Up
3 words that mean so many different things to me.

Please allow me to take you back to National Conference 2005 in Washington DC.
That is where it was announced that PartyLite consultants would be offered the opportunity to have a website starting the fall of 2005.

 Immediately, my mind started racing about what I wanted my website handle to be.  For whatever reason, I did not want it to be my first initial and last name or anything like that.

 At the time I had been part of the PartyLite family just over 2 1/2 years and was working toward a huge goal in leadership. I also was going through and dealing with a marriage that was struggling very badly and I did my best to hide that from the world, my friends and my family.  I was deeply ashamed that my husband at the time was having several affairs and we were constantly struggling to pay our bills and there was lots of arguments in that household.

I chose to focus on my business and booked as many candle parties as I could possibly do and work around my children's school/activity schedules as well. PartyLite was my coping mechanism to get through all the ugliness at home with my then spouse.

When October of 2005 rolled around and we got the email saying we could go to a link and set up our websites, by then I had come up with a future unit name. You guessed it, Never Give Up was going to be my unit name for my future team of candle consultants. I never imagined how much those words would mean to me 14 years later.

Several fellow consultants and leaders loved my unit name and never knew the 'home' reason for it and I kept that a closely guarded secret until 2011. 2011 was a  year full of change, new jobs, new friends, new address and leaving a job I completely loved at the VA Cemetery in West Nashville.  By this time Never Give Up was full of meaning both at home and in business or just about anything that would come at me.  Several hosts and dear friends still tag me in things that have that saying on it.

I would end up filing for divorce in May of 2013 and finally putting those years and that very hard/difficult time behind me when the divorce was final on August 1, 2013.
I was chanting never give up to get through lots of challenges and to ramp up my enthusiasm to take one more go at chasing leadership. I earned that very elusive title of Unit Leader with PartyLite on November 30, 2014 when my team and I hit all the numbers we needed to be recognized by our upline and home office. Never Give Up Team was born!!!

And now here we are in 2019 and my life has been through lots more changes, loss of friends and gain of new ones. When Origami Owl came out with this plate and locket set in the summer of 18, I knew I would wear it this way for several reasons, but mostly to remind myself not to give up on me.

I fight depression and anxiety every day, every night.  I wake up and hear noises and have to go make sure the house is locked up and then takes a very long while to settle my mind back down that we are safe. I have a good man standing with me in my life now and he encourages me and cheers me on in most any goal I want to pursue. You should have seen him when I first started crocheting, it was comical, because I would get frustrated and he encouraged me no matter what.  He has also happily worn a scarf that I made just to make me smile.

I am so very thankful that I am still here and still standing after all this time.
I hope whatever you are facing you are not facing it alone. I have learned after all these years, find a friend/confidant that you can truly tell anything to and it will help you in more ways than I could list.

Please whatever you are facing, don't give up! Keep trying and if you need to take a break, then do so, but don't completely give up. Keep working on that goal. I believe that if God is for you, nothing can prosper against you. Keep God in your focus and you will be stronger.

If you are in danger, please seek help. Call the domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and talk to someone. You are NOT ALONE.