Fear and anxiety are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.  Fear is in reaction to a danger or perceived danger.  Anxiety is the suppression of emotions.  Rather than feeling our emotions, we stuff them and the anxiety is felt. Hmmm...makes me wonder what I am stuffing... 

This morning my husband and I had a quick conversation in the kitchen before he left for work and I was reminded of someone who invested a great deal into me.  When she left, I felt a gaping hole.  I had gone from growing to stagnant.  I wonder if I have made that same impact on another without ever really knowing it...hummm...

On Thursday I am to have a conversation where I must be brutally honest, honest to the point of vulnerability.  Needless to say, I am not looking forward to it.  But I wonder, if I were to be more vulnerable in everyday life, how many others would this simply act provide others the opportunity to do the same.  We so often live only on the surface where our heart is safe.  What if we intentionally chose to live a little further down?  Would relationships be more authentic?  Would wounds be tended to?  Would there be less gossip and more compassion?  Being vulnerable takes courage.  May you muster a bit more courage today.