Aug 21, 2019 | Be you, Becoming, purpose |
She found a piece of herself
under the couch last month.
It was dusty and covered in Cheerio crumbs
but it definitely belonged to her.
It was hard to tell
but she thinks it might be her sense of adventure.
Last week she opened a box in the attic
and was shocked to find
her drive for justice in the box
with her high school yearbooks.
She sets the found pieces
in a box, next to her jewelry.
She doesn’t think about them again
until she finds a paintbrush
buried in the junk drawer in the bathroom.
Her heart trips over itself
at the sight of a long-lost love.
She used to be known as
the artist.
It joins the other pieces on her dresser.
The next day, during a long afternoon at work
she re-discovers her ambition via
an email search.
She found it in an email about a business idea
from when she first graduated college.
It is still a good idea.
She creates a folder titled:
Business Idea
and moves the email there so she
can come back to it.
That evening
as she puts the girls’ clothes away
she squeals when she finds
one of her favorite toys
from when she was a girl.
She realizes then, that its been
a long time since she
felt joy that
relishes the simple things.
She carries the little toy
to join the rest of the pieces of her.
When she looks up
from her jewelry tray
she catches her reflection
in the mirror and
pauses.
All this time she thought she was
a whole person,
pursuing all that she is meant to,
but now that she’s discovered
misplaced pieces of her,
she takes stock.
Is anything else missing?
How do I incorporate these
pieces of me back into my life,
where they rightfully belong?
Without them,
I am not wholly me.
Her heart quickens,
beats to redeem
lost time.
She calls for the girls as she grabs
her paintbrush and
runs to the playroom.
For now,
any paint will do.
She has to paint right this minute.
To put the pieces back together.
To be whole.
To be all that she is meant to be.
#PermissionGranted
Jul 31, 2019 | Be you, Becoming, confidently |
There are days when I
check off all the boxes.
If you saw me in action
you might say,
“Get out of her way!
She’s got a list!”
On these days I am a
Professional
Mom/Wife/Writer/Organizer/Cleaner/Chef.
There are days that I
am a Professional
Facebooker.
There are days that
if I could get paid to daydream
I would make bank.
There are days that
nothing is accomplished
because I just can’t
do one more thing.
There are days that I
think I could tackle
anything I put my mind to
and days when I wonder
if I am capable of good things.
There are days when I try
something new,
like a treetop ropes course
and other days when I
fall into old patterns that
keep me stuck.
All of this is me.
I am not more me
on my tackle-it-all days
versus my Facebook pro days.
The essence of who I am
is on display when I daydream
and when I seek out
something new.
There’s a range to who I am.
I
am
not
a
robot
with a singular setting.
I am fully myself
when I give space
for all that I am.
#PermissionGranted
May 29, 2019 | Becoming, Do The Hard Thing, Encouragement |
It’s always been there –
on the shelf –
hiding in the dark.
It’s never seen the sky
or felt the tension
on the other end of the string
as it rose
through the sky.
The kite has sat,
still in plastic,
the pricetag faded.
Here’s the truth.
I’m scared to fly it.
Afraid I will
make a mistake
and break it.
Afraid I will ask it
to do more than it can
and then we will
crash and burn
and look silly.
And so the vibrant colors
stay hidden in the closet.
The kite on the shelf
is full of purpose
but no one really
knows it is there.
It’s not meant to
sit
on
a
shelf.
And neither am I.
And neither are you.
We are meant to fly,
we are supposed to
be boisterous with our
purpose, passion, and possibilities.
We are to be color and joy
and we are to feel the tension
as we let the wind drive us
where we are supposed to go
while we are held,
tethered to the one
who created us to fly.
Storms will come.
We are tethered.
Questions will pelt us.
We are tethered.
The sun will shine.
We are tethered.
Mistakes will happen.
We are tethered.
Go ahead.
Chase the wind.
Chase your purpose.
It’s what you are made for.
#PermissionGranted
Is your kite on a shelf, friend?
If you are facing storms…be encouraged, you are tethered. You’re in good hands.
May 8, 2019 | Becoming, Lead |
In honor of Rachel Held Evans. She will continue to lead through her words. For more info, click here and here.
Listen.
Tune your ears to what is
true, noble, right, pure,
lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.
Fill your heart
with wisdom
that is not your own.
Learn.
Sit and be quiet
and allow truth to
seep into the very
core of who you are.
Speak.
Let the words come
up and out from
a heart turned to the light.
Lead.
Take up your space.
Say what no one else is
saying because no one
else is saying it.
Say it because the truth
that is in your blood
can’t be contained.
Advocate.
Take others with you.
Make a way for them
and help them get to
where they are supposed to be.
Go back to listen.
Just keep starting over.
Listen.
Learn.
Speak.
Lead.
Advocate.
Its what each of us is meant for.
#PermissionGranted
What do you need to lean into to learn more about?
What do you need to speak up about?
Who are you advocating for?
May 2, 2019 | Becoming, Community, Do The Hard Thing |
Here’s what we forget –
what I forget –
sometimes Permission Granted
is a turning from
versus a turning towards.
Sometimes it means
we have to own something,
and dig in and grow.
Sometimes Permission Granted is
turning away from
what you’ve always
believed
and turning towards
what’s always actually been true.
Sometimes it’s admitting
you
are
wrong.
Often, Permission Granted
isn’t a warm fuzzy feeling.
I know.
It is my favorite thing, too.
Permission Granted can
take us to hard places,
challenging moments and
often requires an honest
evaluation of who we are
in comparison to
who we are made to be.
This is the genesis of growth.
And it’s not always fun.
However, it is always necessary
if we want to be all
that we are made to be.
Why does this matter?
Our world depends on it.
The world you and I
live in is created
by who we are –
by what we do.
Don’t run from
Permission Granted.
Don’t avoid hard, challenging
issues or conversations
because they aren’t
warm and fuzzy.
How do you tell your kids,
the child down the street
who is hungry every day,
or the sweet baby at church with
mocha-colored skin
that you are
unable to effect change
because there aren’t warm fuzzies
each step of the way?
We can do hard things.
#PermissionGranted
What do you need to turn from, friend?
What do you need to learn more about so that you can know what is actually true?
Apr 24, 2019 | Be you, Becoming, Do The Hard Thing, Encouragement |
Be who you are,
right where you are.
Sure.
Just be me.
Its so much harder
then it seems it should be –
or than people
make it out to be.
No one else can be me,
true,
but there is work required
for me, to be me.
I have to excavate
out from under the
expectations that have
been heaped on top of me,
I have to pursue truth
and disempower lies.
I have to give grace,
and at the same time,
challenge what
I’ve always believed.
And then,
I have to take
steps forward into
my purpose,
possibilities,
and passion.
I must embrace my quirks,
eradicate misguided habits,
and pursue the essence
of who I am.
Who I’ve always been.
This takes work,
daily work,
and years of work.
Be who you are,
right where you are
is not something we
fall into,
it’s not a simple accomplishment.
Instead, I believe it is
a daily invitation
to pursue what we
are made for.
#PermissionGranted
What are some ways that you can pursue knowing yourself better?
- Get to know the heart of God – he made you!
- Take a personality quiz like Clifton Strengths.
- Ask some friends about what they see in you.
- Sit in who you are. What do you love? What would you like to make better?
