I got a lot of feedback from my last post – emails, facebook messages, conversations and texts.  Everyone seems to be able to relate to the bitter taste, the uncomfortable fit and the unpleasant smell of facing a new normal.  Especially when there was no choice, as in the case of loss or an unexpected or undesired circumstance.

Getting this supportive feedback and having talked to many different women from all walks of life lately, I am looking at taking on a new project.  If you are a woman who has been through a difficult life experience or are currently in the middle of one (i.e.  if you are female and breathing!) I would love your help.  I would like to collect anonymous stories of real women who have faced pain, adversity and poor choices and have lived to tell the tale.  I would love to explore the raw emotions involved and to glean from each of you what got you through.  The glimmers of hope that God gave you through caring friends and family, wise words of wisdom that gave new perspective, or basic helpful principles of survival.

I think that, as women, we are often afraid to voice our struggles, the ugly parts of what we’ve felt, thought, or experienced.  We feel alone because we don’t know if anyone else has gone through what we’ve gone through, done what we’ve done, or felt what we’ve felt. Because we fear rejection or disappointment from others, we suffer in silence and rob ourselves of the blessing of receiving support and help and the opportunity to offer that love and support to others.

We spend (waste) so much time trying to measure up to one another, to get it “just right” with every hat that we wear.  When all any of us really want is authentic sharing and empathetic understanding. We want to know that we are not alone or unique in our struggles.  That there are others who can relate.

I would love to write a book comprised of real stories from real women with real struggles and real outcomes.  They will be anonymous, but because they are true they will have impact.  Other women will be able to read about a bit of themselves within the stories of others and feel encouraged.  A collaboration of struggle ending with hope.  Not pretty and perfect, but raw and real.

If you would like to be part of such a project and feel brave enough to take the risk, please send me an email about your story.  It will remain anonymous.  And if you are willing to talk about it, I would love to actually HEAR your story.  If you’ve never told your story, it could be scary.  I understand that completely.  But beyond the fear is an amazing amount of healing and the beauty of offering hope to other women.  Of being part of something that is bigger than any of us individually.

I’m still brainstorming this, but feel an incredible amount of excitement about it!  Join me?

francisjmamma@aol.com

2 Corinthians 1:4 – …so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.