Stop Looking for Confirmation that you Don't Belong.

Plus, two upcoming Zoom Hangouts with Me!

“Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don't belong. You will always find it because you've made that your mission. Stop scouring people's faces for evidence that you're not enough. You will always find it because you've made that your goal. True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we don't negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts. Our call to courage is to protect our wild heart against constant evaluation, especially our own. No one belongs here more than you.” -Brene Brown

This quote by Brene changed my life. I know that sounds cheesy. But it’s true.

I used to do this. Not all that long ago really.

I was a pretty angry person.

My son has a disability and finding people and a place that accepted us felt bleak.

Even when I found other women who had children with disabilities, I felt anger. My son was more severe. My son was more challenging. It felt unfair. I’d look at the other women and wonder why my life was harder.

I can tell you none of that was true. Even though I believed it to be.

I was looking for a reason to not belong so if they rejected me, I would already be one step ahead of them.

I just arrived home for a caregiver’s retreat weekend hosted by The More Than Project at Moon Beach Camp - UCCI in Wisconsin.

105 women.

Each and every one of them with a different story.

One common thread connecting as all.

We all have a child with a disability.

Goodness it was magical.

I wish you could have heard the laughter that echoed through the camp at all hours of the day and night.

I am so thankful I stopped looking for confirmation that I don’t belong and instead opened my heart and mind to the possibility of community.

Find your people. Put yourself out there. Share your story, open, honestly, and vulnerably. It will change your life.

Thank you, ladies.
Thank you, Moon Beach.
Thank you, Jamie for holding down the fort.
Thank you, Cooper for being my reason why.

❤️ COOP’S TROOP ZOOM HAPPENING THIS Wednesday, 9/18!

Like many in this community, our Zoom gatherings boost my faith in humanity, as well as my own inner strength. Please join me this Wednesday morning for a zoom chat on medications and our journey to figure out what worked for Cooper. Paid subscribers will find the Zoom link and details below. If you are a free subscriber and would like to have the full community experience here at Finding Cooper’s Voice, simply upgrade your subscription. For the price of a coffee, you can experience lasting goodness and true connection.