Hello my HEROES!!!! Whew! What a summer! I had ALL great intentions and plans to write each week and……here we are at the beginning of the school year, so obviously I failed THAT goal this summer (amongst others)! Anyone else have GREAT, well-laid plans that didn’t happen this summer? Well, my Heroes, take heart, you are far from alone.
So, get up, brush off the dust, dirt, and sand blown in by summer schedules extraordinaire, stand tall and proud in what you DID do, and take a step…forward, backward, sideways, so long as you’re moving, it’s good enough.
The other day, as I was leaving my daughter’s therapy office, I passed this lone leaf. It wasn't inside the warm office waiting area, keeping company with the others. It wasn't in anyone's individual office, offering comfort and oxygen to those in need of healing....no, it was cast outside, in a pot far too large for its current state....perhaps it used to thrive in that cavernous home; perhaps it once was a larger plant or tree with many other bright green leaves to keep it company, but now it stands alone, fighting to stay alive with purpose.
Have you ever felt this way, my Heroes? Cast out? Alone? Seemingly without purpose or resolve? Or perhaps just lost and wondering what your role is in this HUGE world of ours? Maybe the summer’s chaos has taken over your life and you sit, not knowing quite where to begin on your numerous projects and goals. Or, my Heroes, have you felt the darkness that life can often bring begin to push you into a corner; leaving you feeling as though you are the only one to ever experience the pain or frustration you are encountering?
My Heroes, let’s look at that leaf. It sits in the corner of a darkened hallway, and, rather than lay low, rather than allow its circumstances to beat it down, rather than bemoan the darkness that surrounds it, or the fact that all of its fellow leaves have moved on, this leaf stands: TALL, PROUD, bright green and VERY ALIVE.
SO ALIVE, it stopped me in my tracks and I had to take note (and a picture, of course). SO ALIVE, the vision took my breath away just for a moment, before returning it to me with renewed energy. This leaf stands there saying to the world: ‘I will create my OWN light in this darkness. I will stand though I am alone. I will create purpose where there is none. I will not only survive, but I will thrive. I will grow, perhaps too small for the human eye, but I will grow. When no one thought I could....when those who 'counted' thought I was done....when they stopped caring, stopped believing in me, stopped letting me heal and help them breathe as I was born to do, I took hold of the darkness and brought my own life to it.’
My Heroes, there it stands, a bright green light...one that says ‘BREATHE! BE ALIVE! GO! DECIDE and DO what others thought you couldn’t; perhaps even what YOU thought you couldn’t.’ One that says, ‘Stand back up. Show them you aren't dead, or worthless, or without value....Show them; show YOU that the darkness CANNOT, nor WILL not, WIN over light that comes from this strength within you.’ One that says, ‘I'm not where I want to be....YET...but I’m growing, each day, through the failures and successes; through the foggy nights and hot days, through the darkness; by taking steps, no matter their direction nor size, because movement is key.’
For my Heroes, whether your goals are large or small, whether you’ve lost sight of your purpose in the routines of life or the tragedies of the heart and soul, you always have a choice to move and when you are ready, my Heroes, we will help you, for you are not, nor will you ever be, alone. Your light, just like the leaf, not only shines, my Heroes, but it reflects onto others, even in your darkest moments. Know this. Take it to heart. Get up, take a step…whatever the project, goal, purpose…just take a step. Start small. Your light is there. I know it is and will help you find it should you feel it’s lost.
Share with us in the comments, or email me, my Heroes, where you want your steps to lead you in the next month; where you hope your light will shine; how you want to grow. Remember the leaf, and when you feel the darkness caving in, stand tall, MOVE, and reflect the light.
Looking forward to your leaves,
Lora Ackermann
Leaf-Light Hero Trainer