“Eventually your own truth will be the only thing left standing as the old habits, beliefs, and untruths, fall away under your welcoming and open gaze.”
Today I had the opportunity to set down with a dear friend of mine and do a somewhat informal interview/photo-shoot. I met my friend Amy recently in Washington DC at the Brain Injury Awareness Day. Although I haven’t known her for very long I have read and watched her from afar through her Huffington Post articles she does on Brain Injury. Amy is a brain injury survivor and has stepped out on complete faith to pursue her dreams of bringing more awareness to this dreadly disease.
I remember the first day I ran across her blog online and she was speaking so bluntly on her injury. I could hardly believe my eyes what I was reading. Was this girl actually going through these things, and honestly owning up to it so soon after experiencing what she had?? This was all I could think…. Because you see it has taken me almost 20+ years to step into my real truth. And this truth is that I am a brain injury survivor and I have been so ashamed to own up to some of the things she was so bluntly talking of. But as I read on with her article I realized so much more on myself as well as so many others… I saw that as she was speaking so many other people were joining in on her conversation and asking her questions. This said to me, there are so many out there that just have no clue as I always had. No clue, I just carried on and dealt with mine through my activities. And here she was using her writing and photography as her therapy….
“Recipe for greatness ? To bear up under loss, to fight the bitterness of defeat and the weakness of grief, to be victor over anger, to smile when tears are close, to resist evil men and base instincts, to hate hate and to love love, to go on when it would seem good to die, to seek ever after the glory and the dream, to look up with unquenchable faith in something evermore about to be, that is what any man can do, and so be great.” ~Zane Grey
I sat with Amy today and talked and talked and talked. I was mesmerized with what all she was saying. No matter what, life always lead me back to this place I have tried to forget or avoid. And listening to her I could see so clearly those years I was in so much of denial with were trying to see through. Listening to her speak of her issues were so interesting to me. When she would talk I can say honestly I could look inside my own self and say Stephanie what is this pointing out in you? I listened to her in such depth. It was so fascinating to me, and I think because I was in such denial for so long. And even when people would talk of it I was never open enough to hear them out even if I did appear to listen I never opened up enough to actually hear the message thoroughly. Why did I do this, it was that awful 4 letter word I have been battling with for so many years, it was FEAR! I was so afraid… I was afraid of that place I reached. I was afraid of what I overcome. I was simply afraid of myself this whole time…
“Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.” – Buddha
Our interview lasted nonstop for 2 and a half hours and I consider this to be one of the most fulfilling and interesting interviews I have ever done… And I have of course looked into my mirage of thinking and intellect and tried to analyze the exact reasons to why… I came up with so many wild reasons then it just hit me this was awesome because she was completely real with what she was putting out to me and to the whole world… And this makes both our missions even more powerful!
To end my entry I will say I consider it a great day no doubt to reach a place in your mind and heart that you know exactly who and what you are. Reaching this stage of life helps you to see exactly where you have been but also understand it all so clearly… Then this direction in which you are headed appears in front of you like a yellow brick road looking only upward, and this I do know of complete truth…
Never Give Up, Never Give In, Never Stop Trying, Never Ever Give Up!!!!