Well ..... sharing takes a bunch of courage. It's risky business and it opens us up to being pretty vulnernable. It assumes trust and the chance that our trust could be violated..... It assumes acceptance and the chance that the people you are sharing with are on a whole different page than you are...... It posits authenticity and you risk the chance that any of those you are sharing with might not be in reality the person that they present as here. And it is prefaced with the assumption that the words that you are sharing are worthy of being read by others..... whether they are creating poetry, thoughts, stories, support and advice or whatever it is..... we have to believe in ourselves and what we have to offer and we risk the chance that our sharing was not found worthy by someone. Whenever we put ourselves out there, we are taking a chance that we bring ourselves back out feeling violated, unaccepted, foolish or unworthy.

But, on the other hand, and in as much as we are able to be vulnerable.... we are placing ourselves in a position to trust and to be trusted, to accept others at face value and to be accepted for who we are and what we are made up of..... to be known and to make new friendships with people who are real, who have similar histories and life experiences.... people who have earned the right/privilege of hearing our stories and who believe that we are worthy of belonging, acceptance, trust, connection and people who can lift us and hold us on our journeys...... as we do for them.

It's a pretty equitable kind of synergy that happens when all of those qualities are present and it can change lives and that's a biggie..... it's humungous!! And, fortunately, I have only been rewarded for my willingness to be vulnerable.

I had never been familiar with this blogging stuff before Bone Sighs. I'm not sure that I even knew what a blog was before Terri introduced me to the "Sighers"...... (I think she wanted me to spread the wealth a bit, because she was getting the brunt of all of my long and detailed.) Can you imagine? ...., Sorry Ter. I was journaling then, as I had been for years...... and I had always found it helpful to get my thoughts and feelings out of my head and on to paper.... but that's as far as they ever went, until the stacks got too high and I burned them. It was helpful, but it was not fulfilling and it offered little in the way of feedback from an objective outsider's point of view. You guys have given me the gifts that have carried me, taught me, validated me, entertained me and helped me find joy, love, faith and hope..... And it has meant more than I can say with words. But since all I really have here are words and symbols......all I can do is say "Thank You!!"  (((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))   <3

And what would I do if I'd never "met" Terri and May May? Well I really think that I've known them for lifetimes, but reconnecting here has been amazing. There wouldn't have been any Thunderbird convertibles or school buses, no bubble adventures, no Great bells, no Knowing of many things.....If I hadn't been directed here? Well...... I'd still be writing journal entries and they wouldn't be read by anyone and I'd still be trying to figure out everything by myself and I'd be tapping with half a team. But my house would be cleaner...... :x