I am strong...

Believing that you are strong and courageous is probably the bravest task with which you will ever be entrusted.

Strength. Courage. They are always there... deep inside, untouchable by anyone except its keeper--you. It was given to you the day you were born, by a creator who knew exactly how to design a vessel beautiful and unique for this amazing spirit. Trust that you are the keeper of an amazing gift. Be brave and live the life you, and only you were meant to live.

Be brave enough to share your wisdom, for you are the only one who can share your wisdom with this world. Only you know what life is like to be lived as you. Love yourself enough to share and teach others about you, and in return, open your heart to learn about life from them.

I neither have your wisdom, nor can I ever take it from you. We can only share, and thus add to the richness and fullness of our knowledge and understanding. From knowledge, our eyes are open to see unique beauty. No one, not me, or anyone else on this earth can ever take, or even replicate your unique beauty. That is something you and only you will ever have! I can admire and admonish your beautiful and unique traits as I learn to recognize and admonish my own. I have to see my own in order to acknowledge those in others. So, no more hiding our beauty! Let's together, be brave enough to express our beauty in the world!

Be brave and live life with the creative expression of who YOU are.

Be brave enough to love as only you can love, and then nurture the strength it takes to be loved in return.

Live in the bravery of vulnerability, and connect to the wisdom of others. In connecting the threads of our wisdom and our beauty with others we weave rich tapestries of community, faith, and compassion.

From those tapestries of collective wisdom, strength, love, and beauty we can enliven and enrich this world we share.

Take me to where the shadows dance

I used to think that being able to dance had something do with the way I looked. I used to think that being able to sing had something to do with my voice, and I used to think that I wasn't the one who got to chose the course of my life. I was wrong on all of those accounts. My physical capabilities are not determined by anyone except me. I had dreams that my freedom was so limited by what I simply could not do that I forgot to notice what I could do. I forgot to notice that I wasn't limited or restricted by the shadows.

Have you ever wondered why the shadows frighten us so much? I had a thought yesterday as I danced in the warmth of the sunlight that shone through the windows of the senior center where I teach Nia. I watched my shadow dancing with me as I felt the warmth of the sun shine on my back. Underneath my bare feet, I felt this small area of tile floor warmed by the sunshine. I appreciated its contrast to the icy tile floor surrounding it. I admired the shadow's beauty as it danced, it looked peaceful, graceful, happy, and lively. I watched the shadows of my students dancing in and out of the light-path. I saw no age, no skin color, no wrinkles, and no imperfections. I just saw shadows dancing unbounded and free. I stayed in this one spot as the music slowed. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind about shadows. Why would I be afraid of my own shadow, why would I be afraid of me? Throughout my life, I have understood shadows as reminding us of our past, our darker side, the side of ourselves that we don't want anyone to see. The shadows hold us back. Or do they? Why? Where did that come from? I looked at my shadow again as my students left. I moved my arms expressively and stared at this Mandi-shaped form created by an absence of light. I noticed that my shadow was a little bit larger than me.

The shadow reminds me of how big I can chose to make my life...let's dance!

Could it be that the shadows remind me of how big life could be? Full of larger than imagined capabilities! Does it remind me by its simple, non-detailed representation of myself, that there are boundless possibilities of expression? It's just an outline. The details are left to me. I have freedom! Freedom. Freedom has been terrifying at times for me. What would I do if I truly knew that the possibilities really are endless? What if I danced unlimited, and unrestricted by my shadows? What if I let them show me those big possibilities? What if I changed the unknown into an excitement for the freedom that I can choose my life's details?

I think I'd say, "Let's go. Take me to where the shadows dance."