There is one journey that I have always known that I would take when the time was right. As a child, and then a young adult, I instinctively knew that searching for my biological family was a necessity. I did not realize, however, that this journey would be tied to me finding my voice. In fact, locating my family has been a major facilitator in realizing that I had not found my voice in totality up until that point. As mentioned in earlier posts, I was not totally aware of this need to search for my voice; I did not know that my voice was missing. It seemed, at least to those around me, that I had no problem with voicing my opinion. But this was not the case, and deep down inside of myself, I knew that I needed to speak out in more ways.

I have always been accused of being too outspoken. Everyone around me seemed to view my outspoken tendencies as a liability. As a result, I too started to see speaking up in a bad light. As I became a teenager this tendency to speak out (at inappropriate times) seemed to worsen. I was often in trouble about this issue of being too outspoken, but I did not seem (to the adults around me) to be learning any lessons that would prohibit this tendency to say what was on my mind at inappropriate times.

It has taken me a while to view my voice as an asset and I am now learning that my voice needs to be managed with wisdom. As an adult, I have come to realize that voicing an opinion requires discernment. Occasionally, time may be needed to formulate the right words to use about various situations that we are passionate about. The adults in my life, were trying to teach me that tact and discernment when I was a child. My Parents and mentors wanted me to understand that there was a time to speak and a time to be quiet. Sometimes, however, this lesson on tact instills fear into the hearts of those who are being accused of speaking out too much. I have relied on tact to know when to be quiet, but have failed to understand and recognize those times that necessitate speaking up…

Life’s journeys can be accompanied by unexpected turns. Of course setting out to find your voice will be no different, in this way, from any other trip that we choose to embark upon. There are usually turns that we do not see up ahead, sudden stops (due to unexpected objects blocking our paths), and sometimes we may be forced to re-route to the destination. Our GPS could lose signal, which is very frustrating and can be scary . The same should be anticipated for the journey to our true voice. There is no way to predict various occurrences, just like in life all that can be done is preparation and anticipation that we will make it to our desired place.

We also need a back-up plan as we expect these unexpected turns that our journey can take. Because this journey to our voice is metaphorical, we may be tempted to overlook these snares and undermine their effect on our psyche. However, the things that could happen on this journey could deter us from finishing out the process that we started. Preparation for the unknown, and a plan is the key to our success…