“We can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps” Proverbs 16:9. A few weeks ago, I was supposed to be on a cruise. Not just a vacation—but a reset. A deeply needed pause after pushing through wave after wave of trauma, grief, and responsibility. I had been holding it all: • The weight of work drama • The heaviness of home • The heartbreak of my son moving away • The exhaustion of caring for and then burying my father • The quiet ache of carrying everyone else stuff leaving me to feel as if I were emotionally neglected. I kept saying to myself, “Just make it to the cruise.” Not because of the ocean. Not because of the ship. But because it represented the one thing I had allowed myself to hope for, the mental space that helped me get through. And then…just like that, it was canceled. At first, I felt nothing. Just numb. But then came the frustration. The deep disappointment. The question of why? Not because I needed a luxury escape, but because I needed an emotional exhale. But ...