I have no earthly idea what is happening in this picture. If there wasn’t evidence to the contrary, in the smiles on our faces, you might think Michelle was really giving me a piece of her mind. But because I remember that we were all standing there laughing at our last Girls Night Out. I know she wasn’t upset. I know better.
However, she was clearly brimming with passion.
Michelle works with my sister Kim, and in my mind’s eye, she’s a pretty mild mannered woman. Oh she’s strong, no question. But her arms are not typically waving in the air and her mouth is not generally open quite this wide. I absolutely adore the fact that Vanessa captured Michelle this moment, because it made me laugh out loud, but also because it’s one of my favorite things about GNO. When you walk in the door of a HeartStories GNO, there’s an immediate sense that, even in a room of strangers, you’re surrounded by love and support. And let me just tell you what I’ve seen, when you surround a woman with other women who feel safe, women who love and support her. . .
It sets her soul on fire.
It might start with a new sparkle in her eyes. It might look like she’s walking a little taller. It might sound like she’s laughing a little louder. It might simply be the sense that she’s not apologizing for the space she’s taking up in the world. It’s a beautiful thing.
It doesn’t have to wait for GNO.
There’s nothing magical about our space. It’s simply the intention, that we are there FOR each other. Yes, of course, we’re there for ourselves, for the rest and rejuvenation of a night out. But even in the very idea of that, it means we’re there for each other. We see each other, that we’re all the same. All the challenges. All the pain. All the dreams.
You can make that happen anywhere.
It can happen in your front yard. It can happen in the hallway at work. It can happen in the line at Starbucks. It can happen on an airplane or a soccer game.
Let a woman know you see her and support her today. . . and light her soul on fire.
They say, the most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.
I believe “them”.
Go light ’em up!
to more love,
Crystal
