Courage Is When You're In Pain

...but you keep on living anyway; it's not how many times you've been knocked down, it's how many times you get back up...

Last week, I wrote about the way life sometimes takes over and goes a little haywire. I had some things come up that were challenging, to say the least. And I was pretty discouraged about a lot of it. Usually, writing is a great way for me to pull myself out, whether it's through fiction (STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM is coming along nicely, and I am so excited about it!), poetry, or the countless other creative endeavors I love, but sometimes even those things are more than I have energy for. So while last week was about resting and being okay with it, this week was about taking baby steps and getting back up again.

This week, I let go of things I didn't accomplish last week, evaluated where I stood, had some fabulous conversations with leaders and mentors, and set my planner with small, manageable chunks I could keep up with. And as always, even those baby steps moved me slowly forward. This week was much better:

I'm about two-thirds of the way through the sixth chapter of STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM (this novel is projected to have 21 chapters), and it's so much fun to see Christine's story developing. One of my favorite things about being a writer is the way you make up characters from bits and pieces of yourself, your loved ones, your experiences...and then you write the words and watch those characters begin to take on lives of their own. Christine is an incredible heroine, but watching her heal from the damage of her husband's abuse is only part of the story; in STILL FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM, she's facing entirely new challenges with the same grace and honesty that make her a testament to how healing active support can be.

Sometimes, healing old wounds means stepping into new roles or shouldering new responsibilities. It isn't always easy; often, there are moments of personal challenge or doubt or even outright fear. True healing means having the courage to learn new skills, the boldness to speak up in hard conversations, and the will to look deep into your own flaws for chances to grow and improve. But walking through those moments and standing on the other side, using those lessons to turn back and share guidance or encouragement with others? This, my friends, is how you...

*song lyric from "Courage," Orianthi