Shine Brightly

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

Source: A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson, as quoted by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech, 1994

Mortality

It means that you can never give up—

People are counting on you

People love you and need yours in return.

It means that you must never give up—

No matter how much it hurts

Or how hard it gets.

It means that you’ve got to live your life

To its absolute limit,

Its fullest capacity,

Until you think you might pop,

Bursting with alive like a hot air balloon.

You’ve got to live it for Kaitlin

And Tim Sharkey

And Jamie and Paige and Mike

Because they won’t get another chance.

It means you must never let your light flicker

Or dim—never let it extinguish.

You must always be your most

Brilliant, vibrant, wonderful, terrific

Terrible, awesome, unexplainable

Self!

Because you’re alive!

Because you’ve got shoes on your feet

And feet in your shoes!

Breath in your lungs!

Teeth in your mouth! A brain in your head!

Lovely eyes to take in

the lovely world all around you

and lips to be thankful

for every last
speck
of
dust.

What is this life we’re given?

We’re not meant to know—

The answers are not here,

Not in any concrete way.

But it means you must hold on with every last

Ounce of strength you can muster

To this
this life, this breath, this moment

Because you don’t know when it’ll suddenly—

Terrifyingly— much too soon— irrevocably— be

gone.

Rest in peace, Kaitlin Kenneally.  The world is much dimmer without your light shining brightly.