Thursday, November 25

walking next to you

There's something about sharing a story.  Being in the company of one of the greatest families I've ever known was refreshing and beautiful.  We're not blood related.  We don't look alike.  We don't share DNA.  Yet we're family, in our weird way.  Our stories are all different, yet the song is the same.  We've known redemption.  There's a love that made a way for us.

A friend and I were talking tonight, and it was weird how similar bits of my past and her present were.  Tonight, I am thankful for each story, and each person behind it.  Our lives interconnect, every road, every experience, serving a purpose all its own.  I can't believe the absolute light that comes with sharing what's in our past with others who are confronted with it in their present.  I'm thankful for the fact that we can sit face to face with another human being and words can come up from the heart of who we are.  I've been there too, and there's a way out.  I know what it feels like to be where you are, and it gets better.  We are rooting for you, cheering for you, and believing the best in you.  We're for you.  We'll run alongside you when you're strong and hold you up when you're weak, because that is just what love does.

I'm thankful for the people who have taken the time and grace to tell me things like this, and I'm privileged to pass it on to others.  There's a breathtaking beauty that comes when we link arms with each other and stand together, through hardship and lightness, joy and pain, tragedy and blessing.  We're in this together.

Your victory is my victory.
Your sadness is my sadness.
Your joy is my joy.

It is truly an honor to walk alongside you, whatever the path may bring.

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