For two years, I did what I thought I was supposed to do. I posted “authentically” in various online spaces. I hosted a podcast. I wrote for other blogs. I did all of those things, and it was just … not me. Bits and pieces of it were. But the stuff that drained me was not balancing the stuff that invigorated me.
I am Democrat. You are Republican. Peace depends on me.
I am a woman, you are not; peace depends on me.
I am a Christian, you are not; peace depends on me.
In a recent Blue Bloods episode, Danny reveals a family pact the adults all made the day their children were born: We made the choice to bring you into the world. You didn't make the choice, we did. So a bargain was struck that day that you owe us nothing and we owe you everything.
He's right. We owe our children everything. …
Our Life Story is made up in fractions. However, since we forgot everything we learned in third grade math I think sometimes we get stuck and think that PART of our story is going to end up being our WHOLE story. But that's not the case. Basic math tells us that PARTS and WHOLES are very different, and that one piece does not define the whole pie.
In the coming days, as our nation struggles to understand its place and its state, some people's fears are going to increase. Whether those fears are real to you or me does not matter. Whether I believe a certain population does or does not deserve to feel however they feel in a given situation does not matter. It's not me sitting in their shoes...
I like picking up the mess in my house because it reminds me of the LIFE in my house. A military house can get so quiet, we learn to appreciate the noise when they're around. There have been plenty of times when my house was lonely. Add in the fact that I almost didn't live to see this life I'm living, and the position of gratitude goes without saying. So now that I get to live my life with a spunky, sometimes-spastic toddler, a nervous-Nelly pup, and a big kid trapped inside a man's body, why would I complain? Why would I wish away this stage just to hit the next? Doesn't it all go fast enough?
I’m sorry. That’s the unfiltered and unchecked version of my initial response. What I meant to say was this: It’s not you, it’s me. It’s not you. It’s ME.
Thanks to the sermon at our church this morning, I now understand that under most circumstances, relying on what you have rather than depending on what you hope for is the complete opposite of having faith. Not only does Hebrews 11:1 tell us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen,” but think about it logistically: how will you get there if you don’t leave here? How will you grasp what you hope for if you don’t let go of what you have?
