Newsletter for May 1st, 2026: Letting Go of Old Stories and Learning to Trust Again

In Fatima, portugal

Don’t ever let your fear get int the way of you changing or doing something uncomfortable, we all worry about the things that could happen and barely spend time thinking about all the amazing possibilities.

Sitting in my backyard a month ago I was feeling lost and kept playing the same stories over and over in my head, they call it “monkey mind”; the term captures the restless, wondering nature of your thoughts, which modern science identifies as the defunct mode network (DMN), I was on a loop of negativity. I really didn’t like myself or the things that had happened to me since June of 2025. So many relationships fell away, so many things that happened were out of my control. My way of coping was to call friends and tell them all the same story repeatedly. It was the loop, and it wasn’t good energy at all. So much so I boarded a plane not knowing where I was going after almost 2 weeks and I just had to let the fear go and walk. It wasn’t comfortable at first, I promise you!

Now that I am home only for a couple of hours at this point, I can be reflective and see what I had been doing and what I am doing now!

When I was in Amsterdam, I met with a Chiropractor that I met with before, I told her all that had happened since the last time we met and she said, “you didn’t need to run away to deal with your feelings, they are old stories that you keep telling yourself, you need to accept them.”

I know God tells us to trust him, that we need to know, I need to know that when I go through hard times it is time for me to get closer to God. To trust the process and not hide from what is happening, I need to face things and not run! I always used to run and where did it get me? No where!

This trip I took was full of life lessons and gave me the opportunity to stop and listen. What is going on in my head? My body?

Last Saturday I went to Fatima, Portugal where the Blessed Mother appeared in 1917 and the feelings I had when I walked into the church were indescribable. I felt peace, serenity and love. My guide who was with me was Catholic, not anymore, and he had the feelings as well. We all must trust in God or whatever you want to call him and know that we are all not alone, we have God watching over us.

It is so interesting that after I was in Fatima I was sitting in the lobby of my hotel and husband and wife were sitting there and I went over and said hello. They too were from the US. The husband and I got into a conversation about God, and he gave his reasons for no longer believing in God, he was raised Catholic and after so many years of bad press has decided that he no longer believes in God. It was quite sad; he had made up his mind he was over the religion and what it stood for. He let man and their bad choices dictate to him how he would believe or not believe.

I understand exactly where this man is because I have been there. I walked away from the church in my 30’s not to return till I was in my 50’s. Well, I didn’t leave the church I left my community when I moved to Florida, but I left the Catholic church because of men! Not God! Men make bad choices and so do women, but I love the traditions! God is good and if I close the door on every relationship because of other choices in the end I will be alone.

Life is about forgiveness; we must start by forgiving ourselves and letting go of past stories. We learn from history, and one of the biggest lessons for me is that the story is over, I can look back at it and learn what I want to change in me not in the other people. Life is full of lessons, and we need to take what we need and leave the rest.

I left home but I came back, and nothing has changed here but I have changed. I have forgiven and I have let go of the old story, it is in the rearview mirror, I need to change, pivot at times and not stay in the patterns, it is time to learn new patterns and new scripts in my head.

I am starting my morning at the sunrise and saying to myself, “today is about love, laughter, forgiveness and hope.”, “Today is going to be a good day”.

My hope is that today’s newsletter will give you hope and a sense that you too can let go of the old stories and get into grace, you can’t change the past you can only change today, this very moment. You are loved and you are not alone.

Have a wonderful weekend, I am sending you all love and hugs from afar.

If you are interested in getting a rosary from Fatima, I have a couple and I would love to send you one. Send me an email with your request and I will send it straight away. elizabeth@elizabethchance.com

XOXO

Bizzy