The other day I put on mascara and thought "This is an act of faith. An act of courage." The chances it would stay put and not be washed away by tears were slim. And yet I carried on. Carrying on. That is what we do. This poem (below) came to me recently in the morning hours. Honoring the courageous people in my life. Some navigating the loss of a loved one. One saying goodbye to a pregnancy. One facing the end of their life. And so many others paths. I hold hope for each of us, for courage to hold on, to carry on, and to let go as needed.
This painting is a small act of courage. A return to the daily rhythms and life after a devastating loss. Even the simple movements of the brush were grounding for me. The willingness to show up to offer an ounce of beauty in a world filled with suffering. Be gentle with your courageous self. And keep going.
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"Everything Feels Courageous to Me"
Poem by Bronwen Mayer Henry
Everything feels courageous to me.
It is courageous to live.
it is courageous to die.
It is courageous to give love.
It is courageous to accept love.
It is courageous to say goodbye.
It is courageous to keep going when you didn't get a chance to say goodbye.
It is courageous to show our joy.
It is courageous to show our pain.
Everything feels courageous to me.
It is courageous to plant a garden and think you'll see it bloom.
it is courageous to buy green bananas. (An octogenarian once said that to me.)
It is courageous to invest in a dream.
it is courageous to sell. To let that dream go.
It is courageous to get pregnant.
it is courageous to accept a lost pregnancy.
It is courageous to walk a new path.
It is courageous to walk an old path again.
Everything feels courageous to me.
It is courageous to speak up.
It is courageous to keep quiet.
It is courageous to dance, run, move.
it is courageous to be still.
it is courageous to get medical interventions.
It is courageous to remove medical interventions.
It is courageous to breathe in.
it is courageous to breathe out.
Everything feels courageous to me.
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“Courage is only possible in community. When you find yourself afraid and you don’t know if you can survive it: Close your eyes and breathe and remember the one who loves you. Love will make you brave.” Valarie Kaur
Painting: "Love Makes You Brave" 48" w x 36" h (Acrylic on Canvas) (c) Bronwen Mayer Henry (SOLD)