Never Be Afraid To Cry

(from francescamusic.com)

11.24.08

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Nelson Mandela

What is it about jet lag that ignites a flood of tears in me at the silliest things? Seriously! I was a bucket of tears a few nights ago watching “Akeelah and the Bee.” Don’t laugh. It’s a great movie, all about triumph and believing in yourself, and there’s a father/daughter connection that put me over the edge. (This is from the person who has watched “Father of the Bride” fifteen-thousand times and STILL cries no matter what.) Part of me being so teary might have had something to do with the fact that I traveled 4,000 miles in less than 36 hours. If that wasn’t enough, I watched a bit of the Revolve tour reality show on the Gospel Music Channel after the movie was over, and Group 1 Crew’s new single “Keys to the Kingdom” was featured on the show, as were their sweet faces. They are dear friends of mine, so of course seeing them made me cry (don’t laugh, Blanca, if you’re reading this!) because I hardly see them now that we’re all on the road so much and not living near each other.

Then I started reading Natalie Grant’s blog for inspiration, and I came across this incredibly moving video that started another sobfest. Click here to watch it. I soon realized that for many people, blogs don’t have to be paragraphs and paragraphs dissecting the nature of life and all the things that make them cry. Natalie is an amazing artist with a knack for writing shorter, meaningful blogs. Why am I so longwinded? I think Akeelah would call it being “loquacious.”

Friends, I hope I don’t sound like a broken record, but Sara Groves’ music has been speaking to me lately. “Hope has a way of turning it’s face to you just when you least expect it. You walk in a room, you look out a window, and something there leaves you breathless. You say to yourself, it’s been a while since I’ve felt this, but it feels like it might be hope.” - Sara Groves, “It Might Be Hope.” I feel hope in the air lately. I don’t what it looks like for you. I don’t know where you’re at. Sister, are you feeling unseen? Brother, do you need someone simply to smile at you, hug you, and tell you you are loved? Well, let me be that someone today, even if just through the words on this screen. You are not forgotten. You are loved. You are loved. You are loved. Be altogether you. No one can be a better you than you.
And never be afraid to cry. It liberates the soul...

Hopeful,
Francesca