Friday, September 9

so do that.

The page is blank.

He asks me if I could share anything with the world, what would it be?

The page is blank.

The summer was gone.  And with it, so was my courage.
But I couldn't shake his question.

If I could share anything with the world,
it would be the same thing it has always been:
stories.

Stories of risk and courage and passion.
Stories about people and living.
These things have always lived in my heart.

I found God in stories, so many years ago.  It changed me deeply, forever, in a way that even I can't put into words.  And it's still changing me.

My hope is that you might find God in the same way I did.
In really hard conversations.
In an incredibly beautiful, endless ocean.
In singing at the top of my lungs.
In living for something bigger than myself.
In sharing stories that are triumphantly hopeful.

So do that, he says, with great conviction.  Go write.  I laugh lightheartedly because it's not that simple.  I can't just open up my heart and share my passion with the whole world.

Start a blog.  Just try it.  Instantly I turn into the Queen of Sass.
Yeah, great idea.  What's that going to do?
Ab. so. lutely. nothing.

Weeks go by.
The page is blank.

And then, one day, it isn't.
The words that live in my heart show up like an old friend.
And so, I jump.  I make a blog and share them.

A year later, words keep coming.
They have led me to places and friendships I've never dreamed of.
And I find you here, in the stories and in the living.

dear friend,
if you could share anything with the world, what would it be?

Your dreams, your stories, your passion, your art-
it matters and it is needed.

Whatever it is, however silly and small it feels,
with great conviction I say
so do that.


I did.  This one year of sharing words with you-
it has changed my life in so many good ways.

The things that live in our hearts matter.  Our stories matter.
So tell them.  Sing them.
Write them.  Draw them.
Live them.  Go live.

PS- This post is dedicated to my incredible brother, Ben.  Without his friendship, I would not be the same.  Dear friend Ben, keep loving people.  It matters more than you know.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks Ben!
Thanks Elizabeth!!