Can You Feel The Progress?

Hello Free World,

Yet another post where I'll address you all instead of individuals to hopefully strengthen the bond between us all. This morning is a hard morning. I'm in emotional pain and if I could sum it up it would by "Anyone" by Demi Lovato. The world is in darkness. Fear is running rampant. "The devil is everywhere..." is what my Grandma would say.

I've watched companies lay off good human beings with bright futures and hearts full of hope. I've watched mothers fight over water and the elderly get trampled. I've heard families cry and I've seen friends turn on each other. Uncertainty has a way of creeping in and washing away progress. Fear has a way of making doubt the foundation of our thinking. And we lose all hope to look forward to something greater.

I've been working really hard on my mental health for the last 6 months. Allowing God to penetrate my soul with light to reveal the darkness. I have trained to be better physically, mentally, and emotionally but today I can't feel the progress. One minute I'm numb, the next I'm overwhelmed, and then the voices start. The one's from my Mom, "you're over dramatic", my Grandfather, "big boys don't cry", my Aunt, "you talk too much", my Dad, "you'll never be a real man". That's what uncertainty does. "The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy..." is what my Grandma would say.

There's division everywhere and it hurts me to my soul...but we have a choice. We have a choice. We get to respond. We get to look past walls and barriers that we think keeps us safe and realize that it keeps us divided. We have a choice to see that the words after they're spoken can be washed away by understanding and faith. We have a choice to be better, to do better, and to pay it forward with love. We have the right to bring light to this a dark time in our history because in spite of all of the darkness I have felt and seen I also saw something else.

I watched a group of people come together for those who were hurting. I watched those that were hurting stand tall and smile even though they were being oppressed. I believe that we are many and the fears of this world are few. If this is the moment of fight or flight then we must stand together and create something new. Something that goes beyond what we know. We must create a system that glorifies peace, love, and forgiveness with God in front of us and darkness behind us. That's what progress is: allowing the Sun to hit your face even when you don't feel it's warmth and choosing to pay that warmth forward.

That is your challenge from me this week: don't divide. Don't run. As darkness creeps in, be the light. Search for understanding and don't shut out what you are afraid of. Face it. Create a pattern of love that goes beyond how you feel and allow acceptance to take ground. This is OUR time to. This is OUR moment to show up. We are alive to improve the human condition so let's do that.

And now, what I am choosing to feel is strength, light, and hope; to sum it up: "If It's True" from Hadestown Broadway Musical. "The devil is everywhere, but he can't touch what is made of light, and we all have light in us", is what my Grandma would say.

Keep your head up, be encouraged, and know that you are loved. You are a member of the Free World: a world without shame, without fear, a world where being who YOU are is expected. Be patient with yourself because everything is a process. Remember life is a marathon not a sprint. You'll make it through this week!