Out of this
quiet prayer came
the strength
to listen to my own
inner knowing
above all else.
It resonated with
the resolve
of the mother in me
who dared to trust
her own body
over every single voice
on earth
and every bit
of conditioning
and advice —
however well meaning
or loud the chorus
of voices calling for
her to follow
or believe in
something else over her
own heart
became.
It wasn’t that she
always walked calmly.
There were times when
she just knew
to dig in her heels
and speak
(or scream) her heart —
even though there was
only a slight chance
of being heard.
It hadn’t really been
about being heard
anyway —
but the courage
to be
the peaceful, fiercely
creative and resourceful
being she came here
to be.
It hadn’t been about
being right
or beautiful
or accepted
or honored —
at least not in the way
it once seemed.
Laurie's Notes 