Over Everything and Anything Else

While parts of this past week have been crystal clear and etched in my memory forever, it has at the same time been a bit of a sleepless and painful blur.

While we’ve remained grateful and have been repeatedly reminded of the love we are surrounded with,
we’ve also cried in the face of certain realities and held each other in a new and vulnerable way …
one of life’s examples of polarity and how opposing things can be true at the same time and conflicting emotions can pass through us together almost as if they’re holding hands and journeying as a team.

As I lie awake at 12:58 am and listen to my superhero fall back asleep,
feeling the rise and fall of his chest against my body,
I remind myself to thank God and the Universe in advance for the blessings and outcomes we envision and desire.

I say all this because faith doesn’t automatically cancel out fear and I’m okay with that.
I don’t aim for fearlessness because I know fear is natural and part of how our brains guide us for our own survival.
What I strive for is faithfulness.
What I aim for is courage.
Courage to face what scares me
and strength to follow faith instead of fear.

Do I get scared? Yes. And it’s okay.

Do I choose faith over fear? Yes.

I’ll see you, fear,
and I’ll raise you our love-filled and grateful victory.

Be encouraged, my beautiful friends, to cry when you need to.
To wrap your arms around yourself when you need to.
To lean on the people and truths you can trust with your whole entire heart.
To allow yourself the gift of presence with your experience, and then to consciously choose:

Choose faith over fear.
Choose hope over worry.
Choose love
over everything
and anything
else.