“This is my story. This is my one-year celebration.
It’s not, we admit, what we expected to see. But again, a lot of this story is about the unexpected. It’s about overcoming the pain of something you never saw coming and reclaiming your identity and your future. So when Young and restless‘ Courtney Hope (Sally) shared photos from her wedding day with general hospital‘s Chad Duell (Michael) exactly a year before, we were a little surprised.
After: Eric Braeden denounces a frustrating change
Their marriage, as we’re sure fans know, only lasted a few months. Hope and Duell went their separate ways, and while they briefly talked about it, they, understandably, kept the details private. And although Hope shared photos of herself on her wedding day, the Instagram post was not focused on what happened to their those weeks spent together, but about what has happened to him since.
The actress, whom we all know, is a huge Harry Potter fan, quoted Professor Dumbledore’s description of a phoenix – a mythical, immortal bird that bursts into flames upon death, only to be reborn from the ashes again and again. This excerpt, however, was just the beginning of much more inspiring words of wisdom that Hope shared in the slides of the post itself.
“A year ago, she wrote, I was preparing for what I thought was one of the biggest dreams of my life. I didn’t know this was the beginning of the end. I’m not going to go into detail, because honestly, it’s nobody’s business but the parties involved.
Although there was clearly pain, Hope seems beautifully free of anger and bitterness, writing that her relationship has been “one of the greatest, if sometimes trying, in half a decade of my life. life. A love that was built through memories, patience, adventure, lessons, challenges and laughter. A love that hasn’t stood the test of time, and a love that will forever hold a place in my heart because it changed me.
Echoing the sentiment of what happened in the relationship itself, she goes on to write, “The story of how I spent the last year scratching the ground over and over and then walking in the world trying to appear “OK” will be lodged safely in the hearts of my loved ones who had to testify and live it with me. But I finally accepted the fact that a lot of energy went into creating this day.
Because of this, she wanted to honor what she’s been through and what others have been through, understanding that she’s not the only one who’s had to pick herself up from crushing grief. This message is for herself, for all those affected by what happened, and for all those who had to learn hard lessons and keep moving forward.
“I lived the life of a Phoenix last year,” Hope continues, “and it was a lot less majestic than I previously thought. It was painful. It was infuriating. It was powerful. It was instructive. It was cathartic. It was grounded, and it was my greatest teacher.
Her relationship with herself, she says, is stronger than ever, “and for the first time in my life, I know I have my own back fully, unwaveringly.”
“Although I’m still picking up pieces,” she concludes, “where I am is far beyond anything I’ve ever been before. This is my story. It’s my one-year celebration, and while it might not be like the rest or what I imagined, I’m at peace with it and grateful for where I’m going next.
Check out the full Instagram post here. She has so much more to say, and we have a feeling we won’t be the only ones feeling her words deep in our bones.
After: Meet Cait Fairbanks’ Real Boyfriend
Sometimes peace is more than we can wish for, and we’re glad Hope managed to find some measure of it in her journey. It’s enough to inspire anyone to keep moving forward despite pain and heartbreak.
Take a look at the relationship that became a source of growth for Hope in our photo gallery of her and Duell.
#wedding #anniversary #Young #Restless #Courtney #Hope #reflects #relationship #General #Hospitals #Chad #Duell #rocky #journey #Ive #spent #year #scratching #floor