When the helper forgets to be helped

For a long time, I thought being strong meant being available for everyone else.

I listened. I carried. I encouraged. I showed up even when I was tired, even when my own spirit needed rest.

But the truth is, helpers need help too.

Sometimes we pour so much into others that we forget to return to our own river. We forget that love was never meant to only flow outward. It has to flow back in.

This reflection is for the ones who are always checking on everybody else, but rarely get asked, “How are you really doing?”

You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to receive.
You are allowed to be held, too.

Being the helper does not mean you have to disappear inside everyone else’s needs. From the River

All reflections Read next: The quiet grief of a closed door

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Stones From The River