No More Sugar Goggles-Just Truth, Growth, and Grace

Michele Renee
Aug 7, 2025
5 min read

My Sugar Goggles Fell Off written March 26, 2017

During life’s continuous punches,

I find it helpful to take that initial pause every now and then...

...and confirm what, deep down, I know to be true:

“It will be okay, Michele; it is all in God’s plan.”

Remember the truth what it’s all about. 💫

I rarely panic,

Although I’m extremely passionate in showing my feelings. I wear them right there on my sleeve. I don’t sugarcoat. But I do have a tendency to wear what I call my “sugar goggles.”

LOL always seeing the positive, always believing in the opportunity within so little.

Sometimes, my family or loved ones laugh and ask me,

“Do you have your glasses on today?” 😄

I truly find potential in all things and comfort in the smallest of gifts.

My family and I have been through a whirlwind over the past several years piecing life back together.

Sometimes we pick something up, sometimes we throw it back down…

And through trial and grace, we rebuild again and again using whatever brings us comfort.

We don’t do it blindly.

We do it together, with discussion, laughter, honesty.

We talk often about life:

Where we’ve been.

Where we’re going.

Whether it’s time to adjust the sail again ⛵

We’ve learned so much in a short amount of time:

About the life we had before each other, and the one we’ve built since.

About the people who are still here and the ones who no longer are.

And most of all, we’ve learned to appreciate each other deeply.

The kind of respect we share is something no one else could fully understand.

Finding beauty in simplicity. 🌻

Appreciating what we once overlooked in the busyness of everyday life.

The past cannot be changed but we can.

Life will keep changing, whether we like it or not.

And we have the power to make sure our change is for greater good. ✨

Waking up in the world we live in today can feel like a downer.

Monsters wear pretty faces.

People hide behind friendly fronts.

Humiliation, half-truths, discrimination, and lies from the ignorant are the poison in the atmosphere.

“The tongue has the power of life and death.” — Proverbs 18:21

"The truth will set you free." — John 8:32

When you try to eliminate negativity, you start to realize where the true abundance of darkness lives.

Opinions do NOT define reality.

Judgments are confessions of character.

I refuse to let negativity win.

I feel strong. 💪

I’ve already survived some of the toughest battles.

There’s very little that can take me down and even when I’m down, it’s never for long.

People have seen me fight.

They’ve heard the stories.

They’ve been part of them.

And they know this:

I don’t give up.

I won’t give up.

I’m hard-headed. Strong-willed. Tenacious.

I may be full of scars but I am real, loving, and devoted to serving others in need. ❤️

And yet… disappointment still shows up. 😞

Heartbreak keeps happening.

Especially when it’s by the same person just as your heart begins to mend.

It hurts the most when it’s family.

I’m not someone who believes you should just walk away from family when they hurt you.

It’s with my family you’ll find me the most humble.

Sometimes I have to distance myself to protect myself.

That doesn’t mean I don’t love them.

That doesn’t mean I don’t miss them.

Sometimes… distance is the love.

Sometimes, that’s the only way healing can begin.

One of the hardest wounds to bear is being judged by someone who once loved you.

Or someone you once loved.

“To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu

How terrible it is to wound someone unintentionally, without even realizing you’re doing it…

It’s heartbreaking when someone wanted you in their life only when it benefited them.

But the moment life shifted suddenly you were the problem.

And then, they bring in someone new…

Someone you don’t understand or connect with.

And they treat you like you’re invisible or beneath them.

Let me be clear:

If you ever treat me, my partner, or my family like we’re beneath you, you will be removed from my life. Period.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” — Proverbs 16:18

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” — Romans 12:3

God didn’t mold you from a superior mold.

You are not made of gold dust.

We are all from the same Creator.

Yes, you’ve made mistakes.

But Jesus paid for every one of them. 🙌

His blood covered it once and for all.

My grandma says the saddest thing is seeing people brag about what they own, always wanting more, and never being satisfied.

She still loves them but she sees right through the greed.

She’s not blind to those who turn their backs on others because they “don’t benefit them.”

She taught me:

The humble ones give, even when they have very little.

And when they give they give from the heart. 💖

This woman with just a 3rd grade education and never a paid occupation has more wisdom than any textbook.

She is the most influential person I know.

My grandma taught me to pray every day. 🙏

Prayer reminds me who I am the parts of Michele that sometimes get lost.

It’s prayer that reminds me how true beauty is found in watching a flower grow a flower that bloomed with love, attention, and joy. 🌸

It’s remembering how special it is to share someone’s favorite ice cream flavor…

It’s in the simple acts like cutting vegetables and fruits while the family learns what Guinea Pigs can eat 🐹 and laughing about our pets and their antics.