Hope Victorious

The feeling of being known, welcomed and accepted by others for who you truly are can create this wonderful feeling of belonging. Belonging carries a feeling of comfort and security, as well as a growing confidence that comes from knowing that you are not alone. When you feel that you belong within a group, team, family…any group, there is a strength and boldness that comes from your individual identity being part of a greater, corporate identity.   You belong to something greater, with others who share things in common with you.   There is a unity and safety that increases within the atmosphere of companionship. This is belonging. The desire to belong is a core part of our humanity. We are relational, interdependent beings. There is great reward to be gained by the connections we make that unite us with others.   Like most good things in life, there is an extreme degree that exploits the goodness in a quality and turns it into something perverse and sinister. True “belonging” is not a

Recently my feelings have been going in all different directions at the same time. I am sad, excited, lonely and hopeful all at the same time.   I have been awake at night with worry and fears, only to wake up feeling motivated and confident.   Honestly it has been exhausting!   I am accustomed to being a bit more “even”.   I have been reminding myself of this truth: “I am not my feelings!”   I may be feeling something, but that feeling need not define WHO I am!   I find it helpful to first acknowledge the feeling, to actually name it, then identify the source or reason for the feeling.   Next, I determine if it is grounded in truth or in reaction.   I decide how I want to respond to the feeling.   I remind myself that I am not a victim to my own emotions!   I have needed to find an anchor to hold me steady in the midst of the waves and currents of changes, emotions and upheaval that I am experiencing.     I learned from my sailor friend that an anchor’s job is not to hold a boat in o