The Magic is in the Journey

Love Like Justice
Angie Hagen
January 31, 2022

If we don't enjoy the journey of getting someplace, what is the point of even starting the journey?

Journey, I love this word; it's one of my favorites! It reminds me of our life's adventure and all of the great things that can happen as we live our lives to their fullest. I love this word so much; if Cruz had been a girl, he would have been named Journey, but instead, our first German Shepherd got the name, and it was perfect for her.

Recently, I had to sit back and process the statement that "magic is in the journey" because I was getting stressed out with Love LIke Justice. I wasn't enjoying the process of building this company. Instead, I let myself get too stressed out about the overall goal and how quickly I could reach it. I forgot to enjoy the moments and what Love Like Justice has given me through my grief journey.

Love Like Justice was not intended to bring stress into my life; it was supposed to help me work through my struggles with grief, keep Justice's memory alive, remind people to live their lives to their fullest, and with the money, do great things that would make Justice proud. But instead, I got wrapped up in proving that I could build this successful company and was focusing on the wrong mission, and I forgot to enjoy the moments that truly mattered most.

If we don't enjoy the journey of getting someplace, what is the point of even starting the journey? I am so grateful for this reminder to be mindful and aware of the moments that bring me joy, to celebrate my successes and all of my lessons learned. I can easily let myself get wrapped up in the goals, so I have to always be aware and grateful for the people in my world and the moments that matter the most.

Before being reminded to enjoy the journey, I almost gave up on Love Like Justice! At one time, I remember telling a friend that I wish LLJ never existed because that would mean that Justice would still be alive. There have been a lot of times that my emotions were very high, and I questioned if I had made the right decision in starting the company. I finally realized that LLJ would grow at its own pace. There is a reason why Amy wrote Love Like Justice at the Justice Art Alley; there is also a reason why the vision of the Love Like Justice Company came into my thoughts. I just need to stop stressing about reaching my goals and enjoy what it has become.

I hope this message encourages all of you to enjoy the magic in your journey as well. Sometimes, I truly think that we need to slow ourselves down enough to pay attention to all of the gifts and lessons in our life. We need to put our phones down and be still long enough to think about what gives us joy and be grateful for those moments.



To learn more about Love Like Justice, check out our website. You can purchase an item or donate money directly to Justice's Foundation on the website. In her memory, all proceeds go to Justice Foundation to light up the Historic Bell Street Bridge.

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Each night our lights are lit up in an array of colors, glowing in remembrance, lighting the Old Bell Street Bridge.