Realizing that I needed to find my voice has been a long journey that started years ago. As I trace the steps of my past, I am realizing more and more that there have always been clues along the way pointing to this truth, but I was not fully recognizing the seemingly insignificant occurrences as the clues that they were. For example, I was on the way to a women’s small group and I heard the song “Brave” by Sara Bareilles for the very first time.

“Say what you want to say, and let the words fall out honestly, I want to see you be Brave.” (This is a line from the song)

It was upon hearing this song that I started consciously realizing that I needed to speak up. The lyrics penetrated deeply and reverberated in my soul. I realized that there was a lot that I was not saying. This was the start of an awakening, but I did not realize it then. I started having thoughts about needing to find my voice, but I did not yet know what it was that I needed to speak up about…