I am Unique

It feels like it has been ages since I've posted. The last post was about snow, and this one is being written on a beautiful 60 degree spring day. We had a great, full week when Eric and Ang were here. We went to the Van Andel Museum, had a big family get-together for Easter, had an adult game night (so fun!), and a girls' night (while the guys drove to Detroit for a Pistons game). It was a lot to cram into a week, but well worth it. It was good to have them to ourselves (well, to the family) for a whole week.

I have a new thought. There is a quote I read recently in my MOPS book, and I wanted to post about it, but it has taken me a while to figure out exactly how I feel about it. It is the kind of thing that is so striking, but when you try to articulate a response, the only thing you can say is "wow". So, here goes.

Moment #1: Some dear childhood friends and I are due for our "10 year reunion" this year (this is something we planned back in 1997 and a couple of them probably read this blog), but as we seem to be spread all over the country (and globe in a couple months) this is not very feasible. Nen initiated that we reunion over email. I figure this is as close as I'll get without getting on a plane and flying to Houston. The difficult thing is that Nen started. Those of you who were at my wedding can probably imagine how difficult it is to follow her (Dear Nen, I love you). She is so funny and is setting out on an adventure. The point is: what do I have to share that is worth sharing. I feel like anything I write is going to illustrate me as little Betty Homemaker. All quaint and ridiculous. Technically that is what I do, but it is not who I am. I am trying to figure out a way to describe my life lately that actually portrays a piece of me. Needless to say, the email remains half-written and not sent.

Moment #2: I was at my Young Lives Mentor meeting on Monday and was told that over the course of the next year or so we will each be sharing a short testimony. The girl who started (she's on the committee) had a beautiful story of really struggling in her life, so there was a focal point in what she shared. I started thinking about what I will share. I'm afraid that I would just be full of aimless ramblings about semi-important events. I feel so cliche and boring. Something is wrong here. I have a lot of passion and excitement inside, and I don't feel like that is being received by the world!

So I was reading "What Every Mom Needs" under the section called Identity. It says that I am unique. That there is no one who has all of the exact same traits as me in just the same way as me. The quote:

"Renowned choreographer Agnes de Mille once told fellow dancer Martha Graham,

'There is a vitality, a life force, and energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and [it will] be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly'."

Wow.