Brave Enough To Be Bliss

see the effects of the concussion physically like a broken arm or leg, so they figured she had to be ok and should just get over it. Anyway, just figured it couldn’t hurt to share the post. I’m so glad you reached out. You take care and if I can ever be of any assistance, even a listening ear, I’m here. Friend Ginger, your message made my day. Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and words, and friendship. Have a great summer and please stay in touch!

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” Brené Brown

I met a friend through a mutual friend and have known her over a long period of time, but we haven’t seen each other in person frequently. And within the last couple years, she moved to another state. We have been connected through Facebook and wish each other happy birthday and holidays via text, but prior to February, we hadn’t ever talked on the phone. One evening when I was writing, I received a call from her and when I saw her name appear, it worried me since she’d never called me before. I was relieved to learn nothing bad had happened. She explained she had lost her best friend not that long ago and another friend didn’t answer , but she really needed someone to talk to. I was so touched she thought to call me. We proceeded to have an hour-long conversation where I got to know her so much better than ever before. She told me a lot about her life, several times she shed a few tears, but by the end of the conversation I think she may have felt a bit better, and I felt like I had just gained another real friend versus the surface-level friend I had previously. Both are great, but I benefited through listening to her and learning from her experiences and thoughts about life. I benefited from her willingness to be vulnerable with me. I benefited from the call because I hadn’t talked with anyone for several days, so it was very enjoyable for me. I share this story because it made me think back to how many times, I sat at home by myself absolutely miserable, telling myself I was alone, when I could have picked up the phone like she did and called any number of people including her who would have listened or come over to talk. But I didn’t reach out because…I was too scared to ask, too scared to reach out for help, too scared to admit I was lonely. I so admire her and am glad she taught me the lesson never to sit and suffer alone again. While I felt very uncomfortable around my husband’s family as I mentioned early in the book, when I was around Grandma Nellie I felt an unspoken sense of acceptance from her. I can’t really describe it, but it’s as though she sensed my pain and seemed to treat me with an extra special softness, a gentleness that I will never forget. When Kylee was about four months old, I remember being so touched that Grandma Nellie and Poppa Bill drove “all the way to Kansas” to spend a couple days with us before going to a family college graduation a couple hours back the other way. Kylee was, of course, the draw since she was her first great grandchild, but that’s how I wanted it. I wanted them to have as much time as possible with each other. They had met at Matt’s parents with a big family get-together over Labor Day weekend when Kylee was only six weeks old, then there was this visit to our house, and then we went to their house in Illinois around Christmas. Of course, when Kylee was born, there was no video recording on phones like there is today, but we had gotten a small video camera, so for Mother’s Day I intended to copy all of the videos and send them to the grandmothers. While I knew it would take a lot of time, I thought Grandma Nellie would especially enjoy the gift. I bought the DVDs and my husband showed me how to hook up the video camera to the computer and then copy the videos onto discs. “ When you have a strong feeling that something is a sign from above, trust that feeling and feel the love.” Unknown

248