[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$foRSrZt1OZjsz7uuojGVUsoeIPmZkX7hroszkUK4o6es":3,"$fR6El5i-F749gOglunjH-oMaXeCIpgK7WEbZAqMpdjhM":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},26044,"Melanie Shankle","M",13,null,"melanie-shankle",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":171},[14,28,39,55,66,85,101,110,132,146],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":27},786411,"And I realized it's kind of a metaphor for friendship in general- being willing to let someone see all your weaknesses and knowing they won't broadcast them to the world. Because life has a way of throwing things our way that aren't always pretty, and they can leave us vulnerable, hurting, and in desperate need of someone who will help us carry our burdens until we're safely on the other side.",2,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22],{"id":23,"tag":24},3683284,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},42979,"real-friendship","**The Backstory**\n\nThis poignant reflection is likely from Melanie Shankle's book \"Confessions of a Slacker Mom,\" where she shares her personal struggles and insights on friendship, vulnerability, and the importance of having people who can bear our burdens. At that time in her life (likely early 2000s), Shankle was navigating the challenges of motherhood, marriage, and finding balance in her own identity.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat's often overlooked is the way Shankle frames friendship as a reciprocal act of vulnerability, rather than a one-way support system. By acknowledging that our friends may not always look perfect on the outside, she subtly highlights the tension between presenting a strong façade (even to those closest to us) and truly letting someone in.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider fostering friendships where you're willing to be your authentic, imperfect self, even if it means risking being hurt or misunderstood. By doing so, you may find that these relationships become the very foundation of support and resilience needed to navigate life's uncertainties.",{"id":29,"quote_text":30,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":31,"source":32,"quote_tag":33,"commentary":9},743697,"Sometimes the best families are the ones God builds using unexpected pieces of our hearts.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[34],{"id":35,"tag":36},3572633,{"id":37,"tag_name":38},86,"family",{"id":40,"quote_text":41,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":42,"source":43,"quote_tag":44,"commentary":9},548008,"And you know what I realize now? That we're all waiting on something, no matter where we are in life. It's the human condition.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[45,50],{"id":46,"tag":47},2972784,{"id":48,"tag_name":49},1085,"christianity",{"id":51,"tag":52},2972785,{"id":53,"tag_name":54},2824,"waiting",{"id":56,"quote_text":57,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},469399,"Which is why we have now added a vow to our friendship that we will never ever \"Do You Want to Build a Snowman?\" each other. That at we will always talk things out and never allow miscommunication to derail our relationship. But the whole conversation made me think about times in my life when I've felt that way, like I've been dropped with no sign that it was about to happen. And I think Gulley is right- it's the worst feeling in the world because it leaves you feeling completely helpless.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[61],{"id":62,"tag":63},2661743,{"id":64,"tag_name":65},1643,"loss",{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},469141,"I believe that is what happened during this time in my life. God had other things for me, and he knew me so much better than I knew myself, so he moved me along to a new place. It certainly didn't lessen the pain at the time, but if I've learned anything along the way, it's that sometimes the best lessons are the ones that hurt the most.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[72,77,82],{"id":73,"tag":74},2660670,{"id":75,"tag_name":76},255,"god",{"id":78,"tag":79},2660672,{"id":80,"tag_name":81},1149,"pain",{"id":83,"tag":84},2660671,{"id":64,"tag_name":65},{"id":86,"quote_text":87,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":88,"source":89,"quote_tag":90,"commentary":9},468148,"Real motherhood is different. It's better and it's messier and it's more complicated. It will break your heart and make you laugh harder than you ever imagined. You find yourself alternating between feeling like your friends talked you into some sort of pyramid scheme so you could share in their misery and thinking this is the most fulfilling thing you've ever done in your life.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[91,96],{"id":92,"tag":93},2656848,{"id":94,"tag_name":95},3,"humor",{"id":97,"tag":98},2656849,{"id":99,"tag_name":100},1765,"motherhood",{"id":102,"quote_text":103,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":104,"source":105,"quote_tag":106,"commentary":9},468094,"...motherhood is the thing in a woman's life that catches her by total and complete surprise.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[107],{"id":108,"tag":109},2656616,{"id":99,"tag_name":100},{"id":111,"quote_text":112,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":113,"source":114,"quote_tag":115,"commentary":131},389756,"It was the beginning of learning that I can't look to any one person to be my security blanket, and that my value goes deeper than one person's opinion of me. I learned that friendships are fragile and we need to handle them with respect and reverence.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[116,121,126],{"id":117,"tag":118},2274294,{"id":119,"tag_name":120},89,"friendship",{"id":122,"tag":123},2274296,{"id":124,"tag_name":125},823,"self-worth",{"id":127,"tag":128},2274295,{"id":129,"tag_name":130},1647,"security","**The Backstory**\nMelanie Shankle, a New York Times bestselling author and speaker, likely penned these words during her mid-twenties when she was navigating the complexities of young adulthood. As a former college athlete and now married with children, Shankle's life had undergone significant changes, forcing her to reevaluate her relationships and sense of identity.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nWhat lies beneath this quote is not just the importance of self-reliance or strong friendships, but rather the tension between seeking security in others versus acknowledging one's inherent value. Shankle reveals that true freedom comes from recognizing that our worth isn't contingent on external validation, yet simultaneously understanding the fragility and beauty of human relationships.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, modern professionals and creatives can focus on cultivating a sense of self-worth that is not dependent on external approval or validation. By acknowledging the impermanence and fragility of all relationships, individuals can approach their personal and professional connections with a deeper sense of respect, empathy, and mutual reverence.",{"id":133,"quote_text":134,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":135,"source":136,"quote_tag":137,"commentary":9},260188,"God gives us these raw, little people, and we have to form them and mold them and teach them how to operate in society. And if we get a glimpse of all the ugliness that lies right beneath our own polished surface? Well, then, there's a humbling lesson too. It's those moments when I realize I have to extend grace to Caroline as she figures these things out by trial and error in the same way God lavishes me with mercy, even as I make the same mistakes over and over again.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[138,143],{"id":139,"tag":140},1606857,{"id":141,"tag_name":142},323,"grace",{"id":144,"tag":145},1606858,{"id":99,"tag_name":100},{"id":147,"quote_text":148,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":149,"source":150,"quote_tag":151,"commentary":9},258280,"Not one thing we've done changes that we are his. That he created us and loves us with a love more fierce and loyal than any we will ever know. He isn't looking for perfection. He's looking for humble hearts that know we are nothing without his lavish grace.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[152,157,160,163,166],{"id":153,"tag":154},1594352,{"id":155,"tag_name":156},25,"love",{"id":158,"tag":159},1594349,{"id":75,"tag_name":76},{"id":161,"tag":162},1594350,{"id":141,"tag_name":142},{"id":164,"tag":165},1594348,{"id":48,"tag_name":49},{"id":167,"tag":168},1594351,{"id":169,"tag_name":170},2103,"humility",{"currentPage":172,"totalPages":17,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":173},1,10]