Happy Father's Day, people! Celebrate and give thanks to the dads, father figures, whoever in your life!
Today, for work I went to church to give a presentation. I was there for all of three minutes before Work Courtney left and Real Courtney showed up. I was really taken aback by not just the church, but the people. Young, vibrant and HAPPY people, just like me. Led by Pastor Andrew Mook, who speaks to the congregation like they are people to be loved and not sinners that he's condemning to Hell.
Without getting really preachy I'm going to say I cried in church. I gave my presentation (which was really more of a testimony of my life and what RISE does) and I think it went well. Actually, I know it went well because I could feel it in my racing heart. I sat down and cried out of sheer awe. Awe that as a child of an incarcerated parent society expects me to be broken and hopeless and I'm not! Awe that my father in his incarceration hrad shown me the real consequences of choices, the toll our actions have on others and what it means to bounce back. Awe that my mother in all her fabulousness has taught me to be a loyal, faithful and encouraging partner. Awe that I was in church and I think maybe I heard the voice of God coming out of my mouth (I didn't overpractice my presentation, I prayed and spoke from my heart!)....
The church was Sanctuary RI. The dictionary defines a sanctuary as a safe place, a place of refuge. As I sat in my awe and appreciation of my life, my mom held my hand and my dad put his arm around me. If that's not sanctuary, I'm not sure what is.
So very thankful for the opportunity to speak to people about what I believe in. To speak from my heart and feel full of life after, man it was a beautiful morning. As I sit at home now, happy and sleepy I see my parents' smiles. I wrote this on my Dad's card and I hope it rings true for others: "I hope that when you look at me all the things that have happened in the past seem worth it to be where we are today! I love you, Dad!"...Happy Father's Day to my dad! #PostBorrowSeason #DaddyLove #Sanctuary
Because sometimes links don't show up correctly, here's the church info: http://sanctuaryri.org/
Today, for work I went to church to give a presentation. I was there for all of three minutes before Work Courtney left and Real Courtney showed up. I was really taken aback by not just the church, but the people. Young, vibrant and HAPPY people, just like me. Led by Pastor Andrew Mook, who speaks to the congregation like they are people to be loved and not sinners that he's condemning to Hell.
Without getting really preachy I'm going to say I cried in church. I gave my presentation (which was really more of a testimony of my life and what RISE does) and I think it went well. Actually, I know it went well because I could feel it in my racing heart. I sat down and cried out of sheer awe. Awe that as a child of an incarcerated parent society expects me to be broken and hopeless and I'm not! Awe that my father in his incarceration hrad shown me the real consequences of choices, the toll our actions have on others and what it means to bounce back. Awe that my mother in all her fabulousness has taught me to be a loyal, faithful and encouraging partner. Awe that I was in church and I think maybe I heard the voice of God coming out of my mouth (I didn't overpractice my presentation, I prayed and spoke from my heart!)....
The church was Sanctuary RI. The dictionary defines a sanctuary as a safe place, a place of refuge. As I sat in my awe and appreciation of my life, my mom held my hand and my dad put his arm around me. If that's not sanctuary, I'm not sure what is.
So very thankful for the opportunity to speak to people about what I believe in. To speak from my heart and feel full of life after, man it was a beautiful morning. As I sit at home now, happy and sleepy I see my parents' smiles. I wrote this on my Dad's card and I hope it rings true for others: "I hope that when you look at me all the things that have happened in the past seem worth it to be where we are today! I love you, Dad!"...Happy Father's Day to my dad! #PostBorrowSeason #DaddyLove #Sanctuary
Because sometimes links don't show up correctly, here's the church info: http://sanctuaryri.org/