The Tulip Sermon

Yesterday someone who is about to begin an amazing journey to pursue his dream sent me the following quote:

"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. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It is not just in some of us; it is 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."--From Coach Carter, adapted from Marianne Williamson's Return to Love

For some, Sunday is a day of prayer--for me, a day of reflection and relaxing after my first Saturday at the Rouge. This morning I woke up and decided to walk to the Firehook for a pumpkin spice muffin. On my way home, I bought flowers (for my hair of course) from a man from Zambia, who sells flowers on the corner in Cleveland Park every weekend. No doubt, he came here with a dream of his own (I'm guessing it's not actually selling flowers) but nonetheless he is here, on his journey. Just as we are all here on our own journeys, trying to find the thing that will make us happy. Lately, I've been thinking about all the changes I've made--deciding to teach another section of Intro. to Creative Writing and giving up the security of a full time job, coming back to D.C. without a place to live (though rescued by my wonderful cousin)---that sometimes we take the next step without knowing where our feet will land, if the earth will be solid below or give way.

My good friend Katherine who is now a pastor at The South Bay Christian Church has a beautiful sermon about finding and trusting that thing inside you--perhaps faith, perhaps a belief in something higher and trusting that which is not always seen or felt and having the courage and strength to let that foot move from one step to the next. http://southbaychristianchurch.blogspot.com/

Walk and shine on, know that there will be blossoms, if not now, soon, that germination, the time in which we do not always see or feel the effects of sun and water are part of the process necessary to flower.