Lifting Our Voices, Feeding Souls

Truly, one of the marvels of blogging is the sheer numbers of blogs available. Seeing how many was enough at first to make me wonder if I had anything to add to the collective wisdom. But, I quickly understood why each blog is valuable and important, and that is because no one can tell our stories but us, even stories of travel, fashion, family, and politics.

No two people feel exactly the same on any issue, due to the individuality of our experiences and our responses to them. When I saw that one of the word prompts for today was sanctuary, I had a light-bulb moment. I realized that nearly every blog that I follow represents in some way a person trying to allow their voices to be heard above the cacophony that inundates our lives through the media.

As children, we learn to be seen but not heard, especially young girls. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard a girl being told that she talks too much and needs to be silent, I would be rich. But, for the most part, girls find avenues, whether through diaries or other girls, to speak, albeit softly, and too often with uncertain, question-like endings, not quite sure of their contributions.

But, boys are often not allowed the outlet of speech, either. Indeed, a boy who speaks too many words is compared to a girl in such a punitive way that he keeps all of his emotions inside, including their anger and pain. And then research is conducted to understand why women live longer. Duh?

As adults, when we go through painful situations and trials, often we are told to keep silent, to endure quietly, not imposing our feelings and emotions or our fears on the ears of others who have their own plights to bear. Just when we most need to release a torrent of words to cleanse our souls and save our sanity, we are told to be considerate of others and stay mute.

Each day as I go through my Reader, I drink from the fountain of your words of fiction and non-fiction, your stories of pain, suffering, courage, joy, fun, love of God, children, spouses, aging, discoveries of selves, and triumphs in writing. Somehow I know that the world is a more joyful, safe, and wise place because your voices are being heard.

Your words are like nutrition that feeds my soul. I am constantly reminded that the troubles of my life were not my alone, and that others who have suffered in similar ways have triumphed and so will I. I try to pay it forward by encouraging others that, yes, you will be fine, just keep looking at my words.

Everyone has something powerful to add to the conversations that make us truly human, and how pitiful the world still is, for there are still too many voices going unheard. What is so wonderful is that I don’t have to agree with your ideology or politics to listen and respect your need to speak and be heard.

If someone had told me that I would tell my stories so publicly, outside of a classroom or a pulpit, I would have said that they had lost their minds. But, I have come to love to write and to let my soul find a sanctuary through the release of words with the power, I hope, to help others find their healing, their value and worth, a sense of purpose and calling, and the joy I have in knowing Jesus as my Savior and Friend.

Each day, I am glad that so many of my fellow bloggers seem to follow the motto of the postal service: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. It is obvious that few situations cause the dedicated blogger to cease raising their voices of hope and entertaining us. Thankfully. Gratefully.

Written for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday: adverbs that end in “ly” from Linda G. Hill. Ragtag prompt is Sanctuary.