Well, here it is. The most important post. The sweetest one of all. It is the first one. It's been unpublished in my head for years... for only me to see. So why now? Why am I bravish now? I don't know the answer fully. But I think it's because now  I have finally finished something;  I owe it to the people that show up for me, the ones that look up to me, the ones that call me momma and the ones that call me teacher. I must do it for myself yes, but I am also doing it for them...  to do what my heart is screaming to do: write.  SO here goes...everything.

Your voice matters. I challenge you to use it. Loud and bold, quiet and shaky...find a way to use it. As I reflect on the happenings of a community eighty miles north of where I call home I am overcome. I am tired. I am beat down. To fight is exhausting, no? So much anger and pain. Its becoming a fight that is old and tired and I wish for everyone's sake we could come together and show that love and human kindness is the most important thing. A high school in the community rocked by the Michael Brown case stood together in silence today for ten minutes. These young people found their voice. They said everything without saying anything. I wanted to wrap my arms around each one of those 125 students and say thank you. Thank you for being brave and showing people what unity and hope looks like. I guess that is why I was so moved by it. Those students defied the dark, hatred that was swarming around them and refused to give in. They were sweet seekers today.

I know this first blog should be long...and maybe more profound. But this is what I have to offer tonight. It is enough. This is what I wanted to say. I found my voice on this Friday. So I am hoping to come back and write more...and I am hoping maybe someone, maybe you, will find the courage like I did-  to do what ever it is you need to do. It feels scary at first...because shame talks the loudest. But not tonight, I screamed tonight. I wrote.