Brave enough: finding strength to admit our brokenness

 

From the start, my purpose for writing “A nasty word called addiction…” centered on a message of hope and redemption, as well as a way to mark a milestone in my own journey of healing. It’s no secret that many of us suffer in silence from a laundry list of afflictions. Yet, the older I get, the more I feel a kinship with those who hide behind the fake smiles, the false bravado. Because I, too, share the DNA of brokenness. Yet, as I navigate—aka stumble, skip or sidle (depending on the day)—this season of Club 50, I often entertain second thoughts about broaching various “taboo” topics in conversation or my writing. However, if we’re unwilling to allow ourselves the discomfort of vulnerability, then we miss an opportunity to engage in deeper connection with humanity, and ourselves. Transparency, I believe, serves as a catalyst to healing and a collective oneness. And affords us strength when we’re brave enough to admit our brokenness.

Are you brave enough?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

New beginnings

[Image credit: Sujin]

“ … the old has gone, the new has come!”
~ The Bible (NIV 1984)

Old habits die hard.  But as the quote states, the old has passed.  Finished.  Completed.  2012 has left the building.  Of course, that doesn’t mean we forget all the bumps and detours along our journey toward Someday.  It just means it’s time for a new beginning.  I love the feeling of a blank page.  It can be scary to some, but to others it’s a chance for redemption.  An opportunity for improvement, deliverance, recovery.  As one wise Yogi stated: Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again (Bikram Choudhury).  If it’s not January 1st, it can be January 2nd or March 3rd.  As long as we have breath, each day is a new beginning.  Fill each page from top to bottom.  Go ahead, start now.  Don’t waste any of that white space.  And Happy New Year!

What’s a new beginning in your life?