I opened up.  And all those things I hid for so long came out, came pouring out.  I just kept talking for fear of stopping and not saying it all.  I just kept going.  It was awkward and it was strained, but that’s how freedom starts.  There’s pressure, doubt, tears and then light!  It’s a gentle push that moves through slight obscurity…insecurity.  That’s the beginning of freedom.

I opened up.  And somehow the secrets became silly.  It’s not that I’m silly, or that my feelings were frivolous.  It’s more that the hiding out made things heavier, darker and scarier than they really were.  Truth reminded me I’m not alone, reminded me that I am loved.  And that’s how acceptance starts.  How can I love who I am, accept where I’m at if I cannot share it?  It’s a leap of faith, a risk of foolishness and a soft landing.  That’s the beginning of acceptance.

A wish and a wash.  An offering and a healing.  We bring it all to the light to be lightened.  We bring it all to the truth to remember.

We open up.  And as we do the world shifts and changes.  It’s all for us and not against us.  We are peaceful victors, not violent victims.  We are willing learners, not pompous preachers.  We feel compassion and yet know we can only change what is ours to change.

We open up.  Open to a daily surrender and a life of grateful service.

Open.

Knowing no matter what brought me here, it could not have happened any other way.  I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

And I am open.