You’re never far

You’re never far

We might be five miles apart, 

next door, or 2500 miles away

from each other. 

But you’re never far. 

Distance can’t change 

what the heart holds. 

Distance can’t dilute 

our determination 

to care for one 

another well. 

We will find a way.

Distance cannot

weaken love.

It just doesn’t 

have that kind of power.

Distance only makes

us ache to be more present.

This can fuel how

we show up in 

our own homes 

and in our communities.

Don’t hide 

from what you feel –

dig deep, process your

thoughts to be able

to love and serve

those close and those

far away.

Otherwise, I am afraid

we risk not 

showing up at all and

we just can’t

afford that. 

#PermissionGranted

Not alone

Not alone

You’re not alone.

You’re not alone.

And if you are

convinced you are –

I’m there, too.

I may feel

raw,

unseen,

and

unsteady.

But friend,

I am not

alone.

You are weak from

bracing

against the

assault of the

relentless wind

but I need you to

shift your gaze.

Look up.

Look up.

I’m here.

I see you.

I see your heart

and you see mine.

No words required.

We

lock

arms.

We may be tired,

beaten down,

but we are

determined to

weather the storm.

You hold me up.

And then it’s my turn

to orient you.

You are never alone.

I’m right here.

#PermissionGranted

Lies cannot sustain.

Lies cannot sustain.

Lethargy is in her veins.

She is slow to feel,

slow to dream,

slow to fight.

She feels unsure in

every space,

unsure if she wants

to be seen

or if she wants

to be in the shadows.

She delays decisions

until they are

made for her.

Blooming is

left to

others

with more beauty

and talent.

Her plainness

disqualifies her.

Her hunger for more

no longer registers.

She just

moves

more

s l o w l y.

The billboards educate,

the lyrics choreograph,

the movies script

the pathways in

her brain

and

she’s too bone-weary

to fight.

She just goes through the motions,

does what is expected of her.

Lies are what sustains her,

but she can’t find a pulse.

#PermissionGranted

…to seek sustenance from truth.

Wear fierce

Wear fierce

I got my gray covered yesterday.

It was showing up, super sparkly and well, gray.

And I’m just not ready for that.

My earrings were sitting on the counter so that they were safe from staining color. I asked my hairdresser to please not let me forget them and she said, “Oh, I will!” I laughed. She likes them, too! It’s safe to say the beaded earrings are one of my favorite pairs.

The earrings make a statement.

They are colorful.

They are bold.

They take up space.

They are fierce.

They are unique.

I wear them often – even now as I write this, in a scarf, sweatshirt, jeans, and duck boots – nestled into hair I have not combed today.

Later in my appointment, my hairdresser said to another woman in the room, whom I had just met, “Look at these earrings!” And she held up my work-of-art earrings for all to see. Everyone oohed and ahhhed over them and I enjoyed their appreciation of my favorite art to wear. My new acquaintance then said, “They suit you.”

And I was speechless for a second because that is one of the best compliments that I’ve been given! I believe she also likely saw the earrings the same way I do –

colorful,

bold,

fierce,

unique.

And she said they suit me.

She doesn’t know me, but she’s saying that’s what I am even on a day when I was feeling low, when everything was gray, not just my hair, and I was feeling about as far from fierce as one can get, and yet she said the earrings suited me.

I said, “Thank you, I appreciate that!”

And I tucked this away in my heart but it kept asking to be shared.

On the days when you question your worth – don the expensive shoes.
When you feel like bold is something you were in a previous chapter of life, go ahead and wear your statement piece.

If you are feeling a bit gray, wear fierce anyway.

When we feel off, when smiles are hard to come by – that’s the day to wear the red shoes or the bold jewelry pieces because these are the days that we need reminded who we are. When we wear what we love, it’s a way of reminding ourselves we are worthy of love.

So the next time you comment on someone’s earrings, shoes, or dress – remember that you might be speaking to her heart and not just her sense of fashion.

#PermissionGranted

Like these earrings?

Support women-owned businesses and get you a pair at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ukaome.

It’s the same moon

It’s the same moon

The full moon was breath-taking last night when I saw it playing hide and seek behind some leafless trees.
It took my breath away because it was

so low,

so gigantic,

so faithful,

so unassuming.

Then, this morning it was low in the sky as I took my daughter to school. We embraced the moments we had with it and we kept looking for it as we made our way through the stoplights.

“There it is, again!”

“It’s like a sticker, it’s so perfect!”

And then it was quiet.

I am sitting at a traffic light.

Looking at the moon, trying not to feel.

I want to be present and not lean into

I am tired. I have questions. I am overwhelmed.

My girl doesn’t know all of these things.

And she doesn’t know how her shared excitement about the moon encouraged me to take a deep breath.

I am brought back to the present when I hear her sweet voice coming from the back of the car.

(She’s a singer, like her mama.)

She’s singing:

Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head;

The stars in the heavens looked down where he lay,

The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing; the poor baby wakes,

But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.

I love thee, Lord Jesus; look down from the sky

And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay

Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

And I look at the moon.

And I hear her song…

It’s the same moon.

The moon before me is the same moon that was in the sky at the birth of Jesus.

The same light was in the sky when he came so that we could stay close forever.

The tired, overwhelmed feelings I have are in part, a result of the pain that comes with stretching, with growth, and then partly due to being here on this earth with the wrongs that run rampant.

He’s fitting me for heaven – challenging the parts of me that need to change and he’s also placed within me a longing for his kingdom here on earth – I am reminded that he invites me to be a part of that work.

And again, I feel loved, seen, heard.

It’s the same moon

so low,

so gigantic,

so faithful,

so unassuming.

#PermissionGranted

A thrill of hope

A thrill of hope

A thrill of hope

caught me by surprise. 

I didn’t recognize it at first. 

It was a beautiful sunset, yes, 

but I’ve seen them before. 

But this one was

unrelenting,

full of  

saturated color 

in shades of 

ochre, 

violet, 

gold, 

magenta,

crimson. 

It cycled through colors

in time with breath.

Breath in. 

Breath out. 

A new shade. 

I couldn’t look away. 

And then at one point, 

I wouldn’t look away. 

I took a detour to get

more time with the colors. 

When I arrived home

I told the kids to run upstairs

to see the show in the sky.

It’s then I remember that 

my day started with 

a gorgeous sunrise.

And now the perfect bookend:

a sunset painted 

in the sky,

with liquid color.  

Visually astounding,

but also a cacophony

of 

hope. 

Color ushers in 

wonder.

Wonder

ushers 

in

hope.

You never let me forget. 

#PermissionGranted