I finished the beautifully written Becoming, written by Michelle Obama. I have taken my time reading this gem. It is so eloquently written. From the start, Obama thanks all the people who have helped her 'become'. Those who helped raise her, the circle of strong women in her life, her staff, her beautiful children, and of course, Barack. She had me from the start. As you turn the page you learn that her book is written in three sections: Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More. I immediately felt as if she was taking me on a journey through her life.
When a book inspires me I usually end up writing in it front to back, highlighting, underlining, and jotting down notes in the margins. But, I couldn't do that with Becoming. With its beautiful cover, family photos from Michelle's childhood, and its crisp, white pages I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I found myself journaling Michelle's words in a pretty little notebook I've had sitting on a shelf in my study for years. Don't you worry! I plan to share a few quotes throughout this post. The ones I feel are the most appropriate during COVID-19 and the ones I resonate the most with.
Obama shares in the Preface, “Now I think it’s one of the most useless questions an adult can ask a child—What do you want to be when you grow up? As if growing up is finite. As if at some point you become something and that’s the end.” Since reading this I haven't been able to shake her words. She's right! There's pressure at a very young age about who we want to grow up and become. A teacher? A fireman? An astronaut? A lawyer? An Artist? Etc. I know we grownups don't mean to put pressure on our babies, but, it kind of is. Let's allow our children to dream and explore every avenue the good Lord puts before them. Weather its being in a band, which may lead to being the next big rock star or rapper. Or maybe little Sam or sweet Hope is in Odyssey of the Mind and later decides to pursue engineering. Our words are absorbed in our children's minds like books being placed on a shelf. Our brains store information about who we are, who we should become, and what everyone else's views are about who we aspire to become. An example, 9 year old, Maya tells her parents she wishes to be an actor when she grows up and her dads response is, "Well, that's great, but you'll be a starving artist. You would do better going to medical school to become a doctor." We find this scenario in books and movies all the time. Since reading Michelle's words I have become more aware of what this does to a young child. Not just to children either, but to young adults, and yes, even older adults. Personally, I hope to place niblets of infinite possibilities in our babies brains and feed the creative fire which may be dimly lit in us "grownups" hearts.
Michelle asks, “Do we settle for the world as it is, or do we work for the world as it should be?” Imagine if at every job interview we were asked this question. My oh my how this world would change. This question continues to stir in my being to this day. It is such an important question to ponder and revisit throughout life.
Another important quote that I wrote in the prettiest cursive possible with tiny little yellow stars surrounded by a colorful rainbow, “For every door that’s been opened to me, I’ve tried to open my door to others. And here is what I have to say, finally: Let’s invite one another in. Maybe then we can begin to fear less, to make fewer wrong assumptions, to let go of the biases and stereotypes that unnecessarily divide us. Maybe we can better embrace the ways we are the same. It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in the end. There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become.” YES, YES, and YES (that's me shouting happily like a great big Amen)! First, this is how it should be. "For every door that's opened to me, I've tried to open my door to others. Lets love more and hate less. Please ya'll. Love is the absolute only thing that casts out fear. Well, I take that back, faith also casts out fear. Which brings me to fear.
My pastor, Pastor Leonce Krump, Jr. (Yes, I know. He has a cool name. Sounds like a football player or maybe an author. Haha!). Pastor Leonce preached early on in the COVID-19 quarantine, faith dispels fear. Its true. If we have faith, fear has no where to manifest. Let's invite one another in. Lets spend more time loving and less time fearing, judging, and making assumptions. Lets tell satan to back off!
Our voice-- The Lord gave us the most precious gift of all, a voice. The Lord taught me at a very young age, through the words of the lovely Maya Angelou how important it is to use our voice. Yes, women, but really all of us! There is power in allowing ourselves to be known and heard. Lets practice our YESES. I have chills thinking about it. This is something I am passionate about. Teaching children at a young age the power of their voice. This is exactly why in every class I teach I create a space for every child to feel comfortable using their voice. If there is one thing in this world that I hope I have make my mark on or put a dent in, it is this. Helping others find their inner superpowers. Our voice is one of them. There is power in allowing ourselves to be heard. We each have our own unique story. We each have a gift which was given to us by our dear, loving Father and it is our voice. If we do not use it we are robbing the world of what we have to offer. Our stories help lift up others. Heal others. Inspire others. And, please people, please lets use our authentic voice. Can I get an amen?
So, I've shared a photo of me. You may be wondering why? I chose to not share an image of Michelle Obama because we all know who she is and can easily Google her. I also chose to not snap a creative IG photo of the pretty book sleeve or jacket (whatever it's called) of Becoming. I'm hoping you already own it. If not, you should and can easily look it up on Amazon (and order it). I chose to share an image of me, myself, and I because it's a cute picture and because I like the person I'm becoming. In reading Obama's Becoming I found myself again and again thinking about all the strong and inspiring women in my life who have helped shape and mold me into the woman I am today. For our whole lives we meet new strong, wise, and inspiring women who make their mark on our hearts. It's really very beautiful, I think, which brings me to the next quote, “Women endure entire lifetimes of these indignities—in the form of catcalls,
groping, assault, oppression. These things injure us. They sap our strength. Some of the cuts are so small they’re barely visible. Others are huge and gaping, leaving scars that never heal. Either way, they accumulate. We carry them everywhere, to and from school and work, at home while raising our children, at our places of worship, anytime we try to advance.” As our world is facing a global pandemic I cannot help but think about the women and children who are in the most horrific circumstances. I have been there. Please know you are loved. I am praying for you. Stay close to the Lord and lean in hard. Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Lean in and know our loving Father is covering you. I swear to you He is! You are being molded at this very moment. Every wonderful and miraculous thing in our lives help mold us. And, as much as it completely sucks at the time and when you are in it, every crappy, horrible, uncomfortable, unbearable, tragic event that takes place in our life also helps mold us. Now that I have come out not he other side of it I see this with absolute clarity. Please, and I beg you, confide in someone. If you are being hurt or already been trust in our Lord. Pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Here's the hard part, you MUST be open, Confide in a friend, a co-worker, a family member, the cashier at Kroger (that's what I did) or for goodness sake call Get Help, Rape Response, or RAINN. Call a local shelter. A nearby church. Call someone.
And, last, “Now that I’m an adult, I realize that kids know at a very young age when they’re being devalued, when adults aren’t invested enough to help them learn. Their anger over it can manifest itself as unruliness. It’s hardly their fault. They aren’t “bad kids.” They’re just trying to survive bad circumstances.” This one brings tears to my eyes because I'm the kind of person who if I could I would purchase land and live on a great big farm with every animal imaginable that has either been abused or is about to be slaughtered. I would also foster and possibly even adopt God only knows how many children. There are so many babies out there scared to go home, but love being at school. Because they feel safe, loved, and get fed. Parents, lets cherish this time with our children. I know these are hard, difficult, challenging times. And, many of us are needing to get creative, ask for help, and take advantage of resources. It is okay. Do not be ashamed. If you aren't already, surround yourself with a loving community who will prop you up and take care of you and those babies. Kids are smart. Yes, they are resilient, but they are tiny little humans who are going to take over the world one day. Lets rise up and set a loving and nurturing example. Most importantly, take care of you. It begins with loving ourselves. When we love ourselves we project that love onto our spouse, our children, our animals.
Stay healthy and well dear friends.
