Brave Heart, Brave Soul. She who is brave is free.

  “Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction.” ~ Unknown    We’ve all heard the story of Jonah. He ran from God and ended up in the belly of a whale. Not exactly the posh uptown condo one might daydream about, right? Sounds more like a slippery, sloppy, messy and muddy ordeal to be honest. If not damp, mucky and downright terrifying to boot. I don’t know about you but the idea of being swallowed whole by anything is alarming. No less by a monstrous whale with jagged teeth. Yet, despite our best efforts, we all end up inside the belly of a whale at some time or another.    Why? Because we run. Fear takes the wheel and steers us right into the mouth of an angry, hungry whale. What was it Herman Melville said? Oh yes. “Ignorance is the parent of fear.” He sure had that right. I mean by the time regret catches up with us, we’re the proud parents, if not grandparents of a hopping mad, agitated litter of feral changelings we don’t recognize. ...

“The hardest thing is the last goodbye, especially if you didn’t know it really was the last one.”  ~ Unknown   Goodbyes aren’t easy.  And they never really say it all do they? Goodbyes are just messy. At their worst they leave us abandoned with no room for understanding, second chances, forgiveness, or reconciliation. At their best, goodbyes leave us feeling misplaced and lost.    Let’s be real. Doesn’t matter how many times we say them, nothing about a goodbye is painless. Absolutely nothing. Goodbyes hurt. They sting. Most of them are full of sorrow, anguish, and heartache. And if it's a final goodbye, well, it can take our breath away, can't it? Especially if it comes unexpectedly or abruptly.    Death is the final goodbye. And he’s never a welcome friend. But he doesn’t care. He comes for the young and old alike. Death moves on his time, not ours. Yet somehow, we’re always shocked by his presence and angry with his lack of notice. We always want m...