My Tribe

I believe in signs, always have. Some may be made up signs (e.g., 'this is your lucky year' to me means I will win the lottery sometime in the next 12 months...regardless of if I buy a ticket), but others are -- to me, anyways-- real. Like the hearts I've been finding since my momma died. I find them in dog food kibble, in rocks, and most recently in a leaf that happened to float down and land right in my path, upside down and backwards, so that it looked exactly like a heart. Like the weight I sometimes feel on my bed that I know is my sister sitting with me. I truly believe they are both trying to talk to me about peace, forgiveness and love.

Anyhow, lately I've been hearing a ton about 'villages' and 'tribes'. Communities of friends and family. Today was no exception.  I listened to someone talk about the importance of her tribe, her family; how you can push and push and how they let you push as hard as you want but they won't let you topple them. And what it means to recognize the effort it takes on their part not to punch you in the face, even when you deserve it, because they love you that much.

And how you need to keep those friends who keep you. Maybe try a bit harder to let them know that they matter.

I've played with fire more times than I want to count. I've made bad excuses and even worse decisions based on poor judgement. I've mourned deep losses, sometimes badly, and continue to do so everyday. And each and every time I've had a safety net made up of my tribe, my village. I would be nothing without them.

From the deepest part of my soul, I thank you.