Dear Journeyers,
As April comes to greet us, we look at the issue of "bravery" and "courage" on the journey. As we see, bravery is in the eye of the beholder because what requires every ounce of courage may be a typical day for another.
How do we find our brave self? When we are faced with what we must do for our soul to grow and thrive, what are we being called to do or not do in order to hit that break-through?
This month, THJ brings some deep words of pain, of growth and hope. This is not a newsletter that is abbreviated. It is the real stuff of the journey - the good and painful. The feeling of hopelessness and the birth of hope. It is not like reading a tweet, so if you don't have the time, you may wish to save it until you have the time...or the desire to know. Time when you can be quiet and still and to absorb the process.
Fifty years ago, two little girls met one another in an elementary school. For the next ten years they would live their lives in one another's shadow, mostly as acquaintances in band, homeroom and an occasional class together in high school. They never spoke of the secret lives they were living. Their secret sense of isolation, challenge, feelings of insecurity and beliefs about themselves were never spoken to a soul - not even the closest of friends. Thirty years later, their paths crossed again. They now lived in different states than where they grew up. Their paths had been remarkably similar. Both had become clinicians, both had also become musicians, they both struggled with hearing loss, and they both had found the same authors to help them make meaning of pain to help find their way to heal.
Susan Gabriel was one of those little girls who went on to become an award winning author of many superb books that reflected the heroic journey of the main characters and to also help people find their authentic voice. People often have to share aspects of their own stories to help others find their brave selves. One of Susan's many commitments is to help people find their voice. Among her many books is her book, Fearless Writing for Women (and runs a writer's group for that).
Susan Gabriel has a wonderful blog. Her novels are writings of courage and transformation. Her writing is fearless and viseral as the main characters face their greatest fears and doubts and find their authentic journeys of transformation. Among Susan's work:
The Secret Sense of Wildflower - Southern historical fiction, a Kirkus Reviews' Best Book of 2012. Available in ebook and print everywhere. Audio at Audible.com Seeking Sara Summers - An elegant love story with a uniquely twenty-first-century twist. Available in ebook and print everywhere. Audio at Audible.com Fearless Writing for Women - Extreme Encouragement and Writing Inspiration. Available in ebook and print everywhere. Quentin and the Cave Boy - A Humorous Adventure Story for Kids 8 to 88. Available on Kindle, and in paperback everywhere. Circle of the Ancestors - Thirteen year old boy receives a message from his ancestors which will change his life forever. COMING MAY 2014 Please watch seven minutes of Susan Gabriel talking about "what is her heart's desire" - which requires us being brave: click here
The other little girl, eventually became a clinician specializing in resilience and post-traumatic growth and is a clinical educator internationally teaching those topics as well. She, too, learned her clinical skills through a very personal path as well.
She also started this newsletter and may have been your trainer or clinician at some point. Her story has been told piecemeal to hundreds of thousands of people over the last twenty years. One night eight years ago, she returned "home" to tell a more complete version of her story. She tells it to give hope to those in the midst of their "double initiations"....not to give up. I hope this helps, for this is my story.
What are the opportunities this week to be brave? Brave is in the eye of the beholder. Let's look what other writer's have said about brave in the newsletter....
Enjoy,
Missy
We cannot live in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening. To use our own voice. To see our own light. (Hildegard of Bingen)
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