HEY!
I want to let you know this before and after I share my thoughts because I’m SO excited about this!
February is the LOVE month…a time to celebrate the infinite love of The Divine, love for self and love for ALL. In America, it is also the month we choose to highlight/recognize African American/Black History…to share stories of love, inspiration, tenacity, innovation, justice and the fight for true freedom for all.
My friend at Out of Hiding is offering the LOVE(period) collection BOGO (buy one, get one FREE!) this whole month. Don’t put it off now…get a shirt, hoodie or tote for you and someone you love before they sell out…fast! And please let Out of Hiding know that you heard about it first from LALIjean!
This season of my life has really shown me the people/places where I AM secure.
When I hear the word secure, I immediately think safe. However, safe and secure are two separate things. The definitions that resonate in this moment are: safe says that I’m protected from harm, danger…fill in the blank. Secure says I’m firmly attached, grounded and not lost.
What I know is that I AM always secure in the arms of The Divine…my Yesú/Yeshu/Isa/Jesus.
When in the presence of a secure human, we are safe because we know that we are secure! When we’re in a space that is secure, we can fall apart and it is alright.
We can cry/sob/wail/scream/do-pretty-much-anything and not fear being too much or not enough. We know we won’t “be told” or feel like we shouldn’t behave in a certain way.
We can talk about the same thing again and not be beaten with religious, societal or cultural “supposed tos”. We can give ourselves “permission” to feel without fearing a fix, judgment or a list of “must-dos”.
We can breathe…and just BE!
We can also be a mess, but not messy. We can be disturbed, but not disturbing in return. Secure!
May we grieve the people we thought were safe and/or secure. May we grieve the friendships/relationships that are gone because of death, divorce, growth or other unforeseen/unknown reasons.
May we grieve that not everyone has the capacity to grow with/alongside us.
And as we grieve, may we give gratitude for those who stayed…those who grew with us…those who genuinely love us…celebrate us and challenge us to be our best always. Grief and Gratitude coexist.
Let’s find and/or create spaces where we can really breathe, sit and truly BE…secure.
And here’s the “after”…my friend at Out of Hiding is offering the LOVE(period) collection BOGO (buy one, get one FREE!) this whole LOVE and African American/Black History month. Get a shirt, hoodie or tote for you and someone you love before they sell out…fast! OoH, almost forgot, when you purchase, you’re supporting an African American/Black/Chocolate sisTAH of mine! Let Out of Hiding know that LALIjean said that!
Common Day Hero: You are someone that I AM secure with and hope I’m a secure space for you as well. You are kind, thoughtful, witty and beautiful. Wish you still lived in the area; I miss knowing that you were just twenty minutes away. sigh. Grateful you’re in my life. Today, I dedicate this post to you, JennV!