January 7, 2012 – Friend to Yourself

In gratitude I move between these letters. My step is often clomping and loud, but is that what we would name a “sure-step?” Not always. Even tripping and clipping corners bruising my legs, with my mistakes returning echoes to remind anyone who wants to know what my shifting sounds like. Even when, I move gratefully. And it is for you and Me and God. We have decided confidently once at least. At least once we have in like-minded strength chosen to dedicate our force to move us to the purpose of becoming a friend to yourself. Many, more often than once. Many have decided as often as they deliberately step, like a recovering spinal cord injury remembers just how to lift the leg, tilt the foot and ease it down. Many find this purpose we have chosen at least as difficult as that.

How bout you? More? Less? Gratitude is an assist for Me, as are the woven combinations of all that make up my process, my presence or we could say personal journey. Within that weave, there is this thing that runs on the fuel that only kind feed-back can generate. You people. In truth, I can not move very far with out you.

I have two specific thank-you’s of this kind.

Some time ago, Beth Parker, gifted the Liebster Award and more recently, Cathy gave the Versatile blogger Award. These girls are kind. They are friendly and they are funny. They give and some of what they give, specifically incredible generous feedback like this, is essential to Me. I’m pretty sure it’s on the periodic table of elements. Without it, I’d poop out, like an old jalopy in the desert. I am grateful.

There’s a bit of an overlap in some spaces of these awards and I’m going to snip it back a little since the day is spent. The good stuff really is naming off you wonders out there who have voices that must be heard. I’m going to remake the to-do’s of these awards, because I can and that’s the kind of girl I am ;).

My deep gratitude compels me to name off the folks who comment. They talk. They speak and connect and let themselves know and be known. What an honor. You, and to all have had the courage to write your vulnerable self into words and engage – Thank you.

This commenting-thing is more than pom-pom action. When we speak out loud, we open closet doors, shame is aired, fears are invited for tea and then ushered out more easily. We hook into the self-care tips and make them our own when we breathe out audibly. We may not know it but we claim them and the people in this community of “Friend to Yourself-ers” or FTY’s. (How do you like that? FTY?) This is awesome and powerful and free. As we say here, “speak.”

You may or may not be on this “WordPress” generated statistic of commenters, but either way, you are here with us. You fuel us in our life journey uniquely and importantly. For those who read but don’t comment, thank you as well for letting us share ourselves with you. Comment if you will, but keep coming either way.

In gratitude: