Let's All Be Brave... in our own way!

It was a year ago this week that my husband was going in for his 3rd knee surgery.

As I was telling a girlfriend the schedule for surgery day, 

when I came to the part of him being put under, I paused.

An unexpected lump came into my throat and I almost lost it.

As I fought back tears, my friend said, "It's no big deal.  It's not heart surgery!"

Um... WHAT?

I was very aware of the fact that this was not a life or death surgery, but there is always risk when you're under anesthesia and beside, this is MY husband!

I was scared.

As I posted in the beginning of this year, my one word for the year is
BRAVE.

I didn't pick it.

It picked me.

I've been working on a project that is taking me out of my comfort zone and I assumed that the word BRAVE would apply to this new venture.

It does.

But that's not all.

This is a challenging week for me personally and whereas I'm more than aware that many are facing far more difficult circumstances, some life and death, this is MY tough circumstance and I need to be BRAVE.

Bravery looks different for everyone.

For some, being brave means walking away from a difficult relationship.

For others, being brave means staying, and working through it.

Being brave could mean taking a risk and following your dream,

writing that book, launching that company, going on that mission trip...

Or being brave might mean trusting your life into someone's hands for a time, giving up control.

I know it is different for everyone, that's why I will not compare my brave moments to yours.

For no matter how extreme or different the circumstances, bravery demands the same of all of us - 

Trust.

Ultimately I know I can be BRAVE this week because I trust the God that made me.

I trust His word to be true and I trust that He will do exactly what He says He will do.

Every time.

All the time.

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

****

Life is promised to bring everyone challenges.
Some are extremely difficult and others are mildly uncomfortable, but

Let's All Be Brave!

And encourage one another to trust God's promises to be true.
He is with us, so we can be
BRAVE.

Step Out On Stage

One of our Summer highlights was a theatre production at Camp Grammie & Papa.

Each year I am indulged with a week alone as my folks take the children for an awesome week of camp.

(This year I lost my week alone indulgence to serve as the camp nurse instead -

more on that in a later post!)

On the last day of camp, which happened to be my birthday, we were treated to a wonderful theatre production, 3 productions actually!

Earlier in the week a pile of props were left in the gazebo and the children had the freedom to play dress-up and create their own original plays.
Tickets were sold and we were told, "you must use real money," smart kids!



Concessions were sold as well, again, we had to use "real money"!!

 The stage was set...

The crowd was ready...

And it was showtime!

First up was an original production of Marty Benson

The show was actually really good!  I mean, we've sat through our share of "plays" by the children and after 20 minutes we are shouting, "ok, land the plane!  Bring it on home!" as the plays go on and on and on!  But this one was really thought out and had a nice conclusion!

As they took their bows and everyone applauded wildly!

******

This morning at breakfast, I told the kiddos that exactly one week from today - next Wednesday - they'd be at their first day of school.

At these words, one of my little ones lost her appetite.

She came and found me in the kitchen to tell me that she was a little bit scared to go to school.

I brushed it aside and said, "oh, you'll be fine, it will be great."  

But that didn't settle her.

We sat down and had a more in depth chat and I realized that she truly is scared to go to school.

"what if my tummy hurts?  what if I cry?  what if I don't like it?"

I gently encouraged her to simply try, take the first step, and then we'd see if she liked it.

Often times, waiting in the wings behind the curtain is much scarier than stepping out on stage!
Our imaginations go to the worst case scenario, we speculate, "what if" begins and we can talk ourselves out of an incredible opportunity.
But there are moments in life when you just need to step out on stage.

Those moments that cause your stomach to twist in knots,

moments when your mouth goes dry,

moments when your eyes dart for the nearest bathroom!

In that moment, we are faced with a decision - escape, or step out on stage!
More often than not, stepping out on stage leads to a brilliant, original performance of who you uniquely are and concludes with wild applause.
Step out!
The world needs the unique gift that is you.

One more week until the curtain goes up!