Monday, December 7, 2015

Return of the Mack

It has been over 2 yrs since I last wrote a blog. Yet in my absence I waited patiently for the muse to return. And it has through the ambitious goal I set for my self--read a new book every 2 weeks. I started on a Monday evening and finished by Saturday, technically less than a week. BUT when I finished it hit me--how am I going to leisurely read AND to graduate work all while holding it done as a fab educator?? I definitely didn't think that goal through--totally threw it out there on a whim! But I'm here--one book down, several reads to go.

In my attempt to share I will do a little sumthin sumthin. But remember I'm rusty--I work, but not as effectively...yet. Gotta get oiled up.....don't expect fantastic...lower the expectations please...just a little.....

Read #1 The Beautiful Struggle by Te-Nehisi Coates

We can't determine the family we are born into. No matter how much we try to deny it--we are our family. We are the mix of all things we love and hate about our family. Some characteristics are purely nature---lips, nose, attitude, smile--others are nurture---values, beliefs, morals, food preferences. But what is unmistakably, you are your family. Even if you haven't had the opportunity to know your family, you are your family.

While we are young, we fall in love with all things family because we have not developed a filter to judge them by. Our dad is stronger than all the other dads even in his weakness; our mom cooks the best food even if it is a little bland--how would you know the differencw. Yet as we age we begin to see a reality that may or may not be truth. But it is the reality we tend to hold on to--we have THE worst family in the world, this can't be normal....our thoughts go on and on. And we find ourselves wishing we had been born to another family.

As we mature we find a place within that speaks truth to our souls. I would love to believe that we all have arrived at this place, but it is not reality. Truth states this arrival is possible, yet we only focus on reality because we can's see truth.

What's the place? It's no specific location or time parameter, yet it exists. There's no direct path, yet there's a journey. No one road takes you there, but you will know you are there when you arrive. And arriving means knowing it was not a specific place at all.

In the end, you gotta find space to love people where they are. Whatever place they are located in their journey, you must love them there. Our family was never intended to be perfect, but through our experience of them we must learn to love and just be. Now don't take this as a license to lean heavy left as if nothing matters; not at all. Take it as encouragement.

I encourage you to release, to love, to search, to find, to just be. Be. The journey starts within you.

The Beautiful Struggle reminded me that my struggle is uniquely me. And I have the power to create its beauty however I desire.