Shine

It’s been tough to believe that we could shine these last number of years. The fatigue and weariness have left us haggard while keeping company with the incessant wondering of when the next shoe would fall. You probably questioned if this hardship would never end. The last few years have been challenging, to say the least. And that’s putting it mildly. Navigating this journey on earth has been rife with disappointments, setbacks, and heartache.

I’m with you, my friend.

What I believe is this:

For so many of us, this has been the process of rebirth. And it has been laborious. The unceasing labor pains and contractions have been exhausting.

But there is a silver lining. Because what we are really accomplishing is becoming who we were always meant to be. The pain of letting go of so much has prepared us to receive something rare and with it, to begin a new chapter. Though we are perhaps a bit weary and tired from the loss, there is treasure to be found. What we have shed has cleared the way for us to shine, to be authentic, and confident, and to stand boldly in our light now.

I have felt this time of loss so keenly. I have shattered and put myself back together again and again. But what I also know is that, after the fire is over and the ashes have cooled, I am now free to be myself. I no longer am hiding and dimming my inner light to fit in. I won’t let anyone diminish me ever again. There will be no more secrets kept. I will no longer stand in anyone’s shadow for fear of being seen. Nor will I play a part in a script that I was handed.

This is our moment, what we came for. We will no longer choose to be some smaller version of ourselves, contorting and conforming to an illusory standard. The box of ‘normal’ no longer fits.

This is me. And I’m no longer standing behind a mask of convention.

I wonder… are you ready to shine your light in the world and be seen, visible, and stand in your beauty and glory? Ready to boldly tell the world, This is me?

Distilled into three simple words to live by: This is me.