Do the S*&% that scares you!

 Fear is not a dirty word. Fear is not something to be avoided at all costs. Fear keeps you from doing some foolish stuff, but often it also holds you back from doing things that are within your reach and that are meant for you. Lately, I've taken a very existential turn. Now, church folk, I have not turned in my Episco-card, but I believe that certain opportunities or situations come around, and it is important that you take a hard look before you discard or disregard them. I tell my students all the time that they don't know what you don't know until you try. The trying bit might scare you, but literally, all of the things that have ever meant a hill of beans to me have been just on the other side of some of my biggest fears. Marriage, children, schooling, enriching relationships, the list can go on and on. 

I'm super fortunate to have some of the world's greatest and most amazing friends. Ones who kick me in my ass but just after said ass-kicking is offering a hand. They are the best hype people a girl could ask for. They see me differently than I see myself, and they know that sometimes I'm a weenie and I need to try something. To them, y'all are amazing. You keep me humble and kind and simultaneously let me know that I'm a badass and deserve good things. I CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH, if your people are not doing that, get new people. Life is too short to not have them. 

So go out and do some scary shit. You'll be glad you did! 

Fake it until you become it

 Tiny tweaks can lead to big changes-Amy Cuddy

This season of life is so much like a duck treading water. We have small kids and school-aged kids. Our lives are busy. We are learning how to carve out time for things that interest us, but, as with most families, our kids and their needs and desires come first. And for this season of life, we are good with that. One thing that we have tried to really instill in the kids is a sense of family. And let me say that our families of origins have generally been very supportive of us and love us deeply. Still, we believe that in the family circle, that often includes people who we intentionally bring into the circle. When you live far from "family" of all kinds, you learn how to turn inward and rely on yourselves a whole bunch. We've been doing that since we moved to Texas. 

These past few weeks, those we love have been facing real challenges. So much that the Curate and I both had serious planning sessions around how we would manage if we needed to make an emergency trip "home" to Nevada in case things got sticky. By the grace of God and medical science and a mama bear who loves her baby more than words can say and boatloads of prayer, we didn't need to go and said baby bear is doing better every day. But it reinforced how much we love them and would literally lay down life for a few days to do what needs doing. It was a good reminder that most of the "struggles" in our particular lives are just petty stuff that really can be managed. Yes, it may be frustrating and time-consuming, but we are alive and vertical at the end of the day; today is a good day. 

As we continue to navigate this parenthood maze, clergy-family chaos, and you know, trying to live good lives and be good people, we thank our circles. Family, friends, acquaintances, and supportive folks who pray for us and keep our spirits up, y'all are the real MVPs. If you made it through this stream of consciousness, you got your gold sticker on your chart! Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.