Last summer, I saw a note on Facebook that the author Brené Brown was coming to Seattle in the fall to promote her soon-to-be-released book, Rising Strong, and I put my name on the list to be notified when tickets went on sale for the event.  Up early some months later, I opened my email to find that tickets were available.  Several clicks of my mouse later, I was entering my credit card number and with a final click, my ticket was bought, a confirming email popped into my inbox.  I quickly posted back to Facebook that I’d gotten my ticket, and within minutes knew that the event was sold out.  I was one of the lucky ones.

I’ve been a fan of Brown’s work, and many of you are likely to be fans, too.  Her TED Talks are hugely popular, and I recommend them if you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing them.  The kind of research that she does that draws on stories, and person to person conversation resonates with my style of learning and understanding.  The findings of her research on vulnerability and shame and now resilience (or, as she says, rising strong) is compelling.  She says:

Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.

It turns out that vulnerability is also the source of our strength, and leads into our capacity to recover when we fall.  It is where authenticity lives, and where we can build deep and meaningful relationships.

On Sunday, we’ll explore all of this:  those places where we are most wounded, how to find our strength, and what it means for us to rise strong.  Before then, let this small piece of her words invite you into reflection:

 

 

I hope to see you Sunday!

Linda