Choose to Be Brave!

We all face challenges. Some of us actually face such monumental challenges, they could be our very demise. For me, the loss of my youngest daughter, Cait Chivonne, has been the challenge of my lifetime. It is perhaps within the depths of facing such unimaginable and overwhelming challenges that we find our true saving grace. For in the very center of our devastation, we just might find our courage. We just might have the opportunity to choose to be brave. At least that is my prayer...



"I am a survivor. I stand tall to represent my loved ones, both passed and present. You might not see the pieces cruelly blown apart from me. You might think I appear whole and remain unscathed. But, make no mistake, I am mortally wounded; however, I have made a conscious decision to survive.



I have suffered and have dived to the very center of myself. I have eaten my guts and spat them out. I have questioned every move and decision I have ever made. And yet, I choose to survive.



Yes, I choose to survive: to accept that I am not perfect and neither have all my choices been. But in the whole scheme of things, I have loved well, made the tough choices, dedicated and honored well, and in the final analysis... lived well!



I have been blessed, mightily, and will not ever take that for granted. No, rather, I shall be thankful for all that I have, and I choose to survive so that I may continue to honor my Caity, my whole family, friends and community.



I choose to survive and to live, to empower myself with the richness life offers. Never to simply exist, but to embrace each opportunity provided to me, so that I may represent -- represent myself -- represent my family -- always with respect, pride and deep gratitude for this thing... called life!"



At one point during my journey, I was further inspired by a music program that was being developed for children's hospitals. It made me think about the choices we have before us in life... the choices we make when faced with life's most difficult challenges. I wrote the following song, Choose to be Brave, in celebration of the depth and breadth of the human spirit, as per my own experience.



Choose To Be Brave



There are times in life, when we face a choice

In those times of strife, I hear my inner voice

Something deep inside bubbles up and out of me

I stand tall and proud, I shout out loud



I will not fall down, I'll be courageous

I will face the things that seem outrageous

I will stand by you, never, ever cave

I will choose...

I will choose to be brave!



In those times of fear, when I wanna run away

I will hold you near, forever and a day

I will call upon something deep inside of me

I'll stand tall and proud, you know I'll shout out loud



I will not fall down, I'll be courageous

I will face the things that seem outrageous

I will stand by you, never, ever cave

I will choose...

I will choose to be brave!



So when we're afraid, and things seem so scary

We won't run away, no -- on the contrary

We will call upon something deep inside of us

We'll stand tall and proud, we're gonna shout out loud



We will not fall down, we'll be courageous

We can face the things that seem so outrageous

We will stand together, never ever cave

We will choo-oooo-se...

We will choose to be brave! We will choose to be brave!

We will choose to be brave!




From: Love Honor Celebrate: A Mother's Journey of Transition, copyright 2013 Deb Carlin Polhill.



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