I want to see you

"The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows BRAVE by reflection.  -Thomas Paine

Remember this post?

Music is as much a part of me as

Air

and Mateo

and Salt & Vinegar potato chips

and Jesus

and Diet Coke

and the beach

and Svish

and jean cutoffs

and digging in the dirt

and my Munchies
and fangirling

and biting off more than I can chew.

I'm not ME if these things are not in my life. 

Beats, lyrics, melodies, stanzas, bridges, harmonies, hooks....

give me POWER. 

There is rarely a morning that this house wakes without my iTunes playlist blaring in the kitchen. And me dancing. While scrambling eggs or flipping pancakes.

When I find a song that says what's in my heart better than I can....

AHHHHHHH.

It's so fun. And satisfying. And empowering. And sweet. And cathartic. 

Remember how Ally McBeal had a theme song? 

(which was accompanied by a transparent dancing baby, but I try to forget about that freak show)

For the last how ever many years since Ally McBeal first introduced the idea of a theme song to me....

(and please don't tell me how long ago that was. Cause it will only make me sad. And dream about Botox. And realize that when I watched the show I thought Ally was so old. But now I'm waaaay older than Ally. So just don't.)

But anyhow, since then...
My theme song has been THIS.

(and please don't tell me how long ago this song was popular. Cause it will only make me sad. And dream about Kelly & Brandon and The Macarena. And realize that now I am more familiar with Free Radicals than New Radicals. So just don't.)

But anyhow, theme songs are good.
And if I could hand pick a theme song for my kids.
It would be Sara Bareilles' new single BRAVE.
(this ish is like, RIDICULOUSLY good. You need to go buy.)

Are you allowed to pick other people's theme songs?
Probably not.
But if it's your kids, and you obviously know way more and way better than they do...
Then of course.
You totally are.
Allowed to pick.
FOR THEM.

And I pick Brave.
If for nothing else than the VERY FIRST LINE.

You can be amazing 

Yep.
You totally can.
We all can...but especially our kids.
I want them to always know...

You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug 

Words can tear down and build up.
Words can hurt or heal.
Words are powerful.

This is something we are taught early on...
"Choose your words wisely."
"Bite your tongue."
"Think before you speak."
"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

You can be the outcast 

Or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love

We all have a past.
We all have reasons to break down.

Be silent.
Be still.

Give up or in or bow out.

Or you can start speaking up 

But I want my kids to know

Their voice is valued.

Strong.

Vibrant.

It might be different than mine. 

Or yours.

But it matters.

And I want to hear it.

Nothing is gonna hurt you the way that words do

And they settle 'neath your skin

It is going to happen. 

Someone is going to say something that bites them.

And those words will sting.

Kept on the inside and no sunlight 

Sometimes a shadow wins 

And there will be times that Mom can't make it all better.

Times when it seems like the world is against them...

But I wonder what would happen if you 

Times when they will need to discover their own...
Strength
Faith
Heart
FIRE
insane courage
embarrassing bravery
And be able to...

Say what you wanna say 

And let the words fall out 

Honestly

Cause really all I ever want, is for them to live THEIR lives.
Grow. BE. Love.
Continually walk in (and look for) Beauty and Grace.
Value humility.
Win their fears.
Help others do the same.

I just wanna see you be brave

Is that too much to ask as a Mom? 

Maybe...
Probably.

But I also want my kids to know

Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down
By the enemy

No one said this life was going to be easy.

And as much as I want to preserve their innocence and protect their spirits

I also want to empower them. And teach them. And show them....

That even the best of us have

Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing 

Bow down to the mighty 

That the hard days are just as much a part of life as the easy ones.

The pain of our mistakes teaches us just as much as

The joy of our triumphs.

Don’t run, stop holding your tongue 

But NEVER.

EVER.

Even in the darkest of days, does NOT BEING TRUE TO YOU

make anything easier.
or make anything better.

Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live 

Maybe one of these days you can let the light in 

If there is only one line in this song that I could repeat over and over and over...
It's this:

Show me how big your brave is 

Be you.

Love you.

All of you.

Your crazy. Your smart.

Your loud. Your quiet.

Your silly. Your weird.

Your too big. Your too small.

All of YOU. 

Show me. Make your Momma proud!!
Show me how big your brave is.

Innocence, your history of silence 

Won’t do you any good 

Did you think it would? 

I think at some point
We all think silence will do us good.
Right?

It's not a lesson that can be taught.
It is one that has to be lived.

Let your words be anything but empty 

Why don’t you tell them the truth? 

Silence may pacify.
May put off the awkward.
But it doesn't feel good.
Silence eats at your insides.
It weakens your Brave.
Your words...when they eventually come out...
will be empty, if you've been silent too long.
No one will listen.
Maybe not even yourself.

Say what you wanna say 

And let the words fall out 

Honestly I wanna see you be brave 

That's what I want.
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave.

And because I'll always be an English major at heart and I'd like to pretend that I write with more authority and conviction than just a bottle of wine, my head in the curtains, and a heart like the Fourth of July...I have to wrap up this post by circling back to Ally McBeal.

“The real truth is, I probably don’t want to be too happy or content. Because, then what? I actually like the quest, the search. That’s the fun. The more lost you are, the more you have to look forward to. What do you know, I’m having a great time and I don’t even know it!” - Ally McBeal

The more lost you are...

the more you have to look for the happy and content...

the more you have to be BRAVE. 

That is what makes you proud and strong and beautiful
and okay with being okay
with being stupidly perfect in your own skin.

That's what makes life worth living. 

THAT is what I want for my kids. 

That is my (our, your, I hope, the World's)...THEME SONG.

Megan recently had to pick someone to write a biography about. I REALLLLLLLLY tried to let her pick her own person. But I have to admit...I mighta pushed her in the direction of some of my favorite women. Every time I suggested someone, she would ask me:

"But Mom, did she do something AMAZING? Like...did she change her life? Or someone else's life? Cause that is what I want to report about. Girls who change lives."

Oh! My sweet Babydoll.
YES.
These girls were amazing.
Just like you.

Here's the three BRAVE WOMEN she submitted. Her teacher gets the final say on who her report will be about. We'll keep you posted!

Amelia Earhart

Men thought she couldn't do it.
(When asked WHY????? she was attempting to do what she was doing, she's known to have said: "Well, someone has to be first, why should it be a man?" TESSA!!! ASdflkajsdklfhalkjsdhfklasjdhfklajshdklfjhaskjldfhalskjdfhlaksjdfhkljds Gimme. That.)

Really everyone, everywhere, thought she was silly to try and do it. And maybe she was. But she was BRAVE beyond belief and way before her time. Lost herself at sea following her dreams and leaving her last words being anything but empty. Look at the JOY and energy in her eyes and her smile. That's her heart...on the outside. I can only hope. I want to wake up every morning and put that on as my skin.

Rosa Parks

A spunky but weary woman, who in 1955, refused to continue the History of Silence. A woman whose simple, perfectly rightful act, left a legacy of BRAVENESS.  Do you see the honesty in her face? Do you see her worth? Do you see her self love? Ahhh!! It's radiating out of her. Gives me chills. That's her heart...on the outside. I can only hope. I want to wake up every morning and put that on as my skin.

Pochahontas

Born a Native American Indian. Died a converted Christian. One half of the first documented North American inter-racial marriage...saving her husband's life by laying her head upon his chest when he was to be executed by her father. That's her heart...on the outside. Is it bad I'm biased to the one woman who didn't have the ability to be captured by a photograph? There is so much more to US than what a picture can show...right?  I can only hope. I want to wake up every morning and put that on as my skin.

"I don't like standard beauty, there is no beauty without strangeness."
- Karl Lagerfeld

OK. Now for serious.
Go watch this video.
But first turn your volume WAAAAAAAY Up.
And then try NOT to be moved.
Try NOT to grab every kid you see and hug them so tight they feel like a Super Hero.
Just try.
And go out today and Show Me.
Cause I want to see you.
Be Brave!