Standing Up and Out
I come from a long line of women who didn’t mind standing out. Sometimes it was for fun. Sometimes for principle. Sometimes because there was no other choice.
This came down to me from a grandmother who dressed as she felt her faith commanded, no matter who criticized her. From a great aunt would didn’t care that her outfit didn’t match anyone else’s. From ancestors who could not afford any other path. From a mother who embraced her brains when it wasn’t “cool” to be one of the smart girls, and who made her own dress for the 1976 Bicentennial. She also firmly supported my own efforts to stand out and be noticed.
All of this worked out well for me, considering that you don’t get to push a brightly colored wheelchair that's four feet long and three feet wide through a shopping mall without attracting some attention. Having an army of foremothers who lived their lives with courage meant tackling what needed to be done for Rachel. You don’t become a mother of a severely disabled child without becoming an advocate.
And yet I’m an introvert at my baseline, which means I get my energy from solitude and reflection. It doesn’t mean I’m shy or that I can’t stand in front of 300 people and make a speech or perform in a play. Ask me about my daughter, and I can deliver passion to 1,000 people without blinking. Ask me about my writing—same thing. And my faith.
Not everyone can, and that’s okay. We all have our own gifts: some are better at numbers, or concepts, or children. I’d much rather talk to 300 adults than 5 kindergarteners. I have a friend who’s a virtual kid whisperer. Another who’s a serious visionary, who can spot trends and put together cause-and-effect issues like no one I’ve ever met. Another whose intellect sometimes astounds me, even if she’s unwilling to see it in herself.
Utilizing our gifts has always been beneficial to our lives as well as our souls. And now we’ve entered a season in which speaking up for what we believe is more vital than in recent years.
I don’t believe it’s easy—I may like the spotlight but I am confrontation adverse—but there are usually ways in which we can use our gifts to spread the word. Some are quieter than others. But they all service to enrich our community—and ourselves.
So I hope you’ll be willing to stand up—and out—in your own way.