Land of the free, and home of the brave.
Bravery is many things.
With many faces.
Today we celebrate our independence day and the bravery of many.
Who step up.
Who answer the call.
I cannot speak to the type of bravery it takes to defend our country… to put on a uniform and be willing to protect…. I cannot speak to what that feels like but I pray in gratitude… for peace and love during times of remembrance and celebration.
May I speak of my own experience and share the whisper that bravery holds in my heart.
Our mission here is to overcome. And bravery,
….. is the energy of overcoming.
Bravery to me,
…is a reminder.
That moment when I feel myself getting caught up in fear.
Being manhandled by the warping dark cloud that brings with it anxiety,
….doubt, shame, guilt… worst-case-scenarios.
…the stories…
…the darkness…
…and the darkness alone is never a bad thing.
It’s the belief it brings with it that I am not good enough.
…that I am doomed to this heaviness for the rest of my life.
That this is what life is all about.
… just fighting against the fatigue… fighting against my flow.
Bravery reminds me that if I can remember to be brave…
…I may be strong, yet vulnerable… and I may be held, and guided…. and I may overcome.
When we think of bravery, we may think grandiose.
Life and death.
Sacrifice.
Protection.
And bravery is all of these.
It’s almost as if bravery is revealed in surprise. We act bravely without thinking… we act from within a place we didn’t even know we had. It’s as if bravery is acting through us.
And it is.
My natural bravery is revealed when I birth my children… when I nurse them… when I do 10 things at once because I am driven by my love, devotion and connection to them.
That ‘you don’t think about it, you just do it‘ sort of bravery.
The maternal. The lion-ess/lion cub sort of bravery. The energy that pushes a baby out of a mama sort of bravery. Everyone has their own story, and their own experience of once-in-a-lifetime bravery… the kind you cannot imagine if you didn’t experience it for yourself…. the kind that leaves you in awe…in tears… in gratitude…. and being a woman with children is mine.
I seek bravery in areas where I am terrified to go out of my comfort zone. Perhaps I am thinking about my business and how I can serve others and receive compensation. This bravery is about moving through my fear of feeling not good enough to serve. Not good enough to answer my call to rise up. Not good enough to go bigger and try new things.
I also seek bravery in my everyday moments. I feel brave when I decide to take a deep breath before blurting something mindless to my kids while I’m frustrated.
When I feel triggered, I ask God to come in and transform this energy…. allow me to see things differently.
I feel brave when I do my work… my inner work. Forgiveness…compassion… going deeper… into the darkness… bringing it to light.
Going deeper takes an army of angels… and I call on their bravery when I cannot find mine.
I keep going… into the darkness… into the light.
I ask for bravery in order to do this. Because without it, I am just scared $%^&less. I am terrified that I am failing as a parent, failing as a person… failing at my purpose. Without bravery… I am just marinating in fear and worry.
Bravery, and it’s soul sister, faith… sweep my spirit.
Bravery reminds me that I can ask for a miracle.
And faith gives me the peace to know it’s coming.
Bravery gives me the strength to ask for God’s help.
And faith delivers it.
May we find bravery in the whisper of our hearts and remember that we will overcome… we will make it… we will become stronger and we will live with grateful hearts.
Have a blessed 4th of July and a joyous week!
Diagnosis during pregnancy 