Permission To Live

We have transitioned from planning and execution, and I am still in reflection. I can be nothing but grateful for the hearts that came to share and receive during the Mom Dreams Permission Panel. It was more than I expected, and it was exactly what God intended.

In all this I have to be honest. This is not what I had in mind. When the Lord told me to start creating Mom Dreams in January of 2023, and the launch happened in 2024, I could see what I wanted for women, but I did not know how we would get there. I assumed I would continue private phone conversations and random encounters, maybe I would do a couple of speaking engagements. He graced me to write a book, which was my heart's desire, and I could have stopped at finishing the book. I was thinking so small.

When He started connecting me with like-minded women, I saw opportunities to collaborate, share stories, and support other organizations, something I had always done, but He had so much more in mind. In that intimate room with women, mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives, I got a full picture of the need we are here to serve. The relationships are for connection, the book is a tool, and that room is a safe place. I have said it so many times, we need more safe places, but to see it fully was completely different.

I believe in this era of technology; we have found new ways to hide. When I was growing up, we didn't talk about feelings or family business. Now, people talk about anything with anyone, and people have the opportunity to weigh in and comment on your story without connection, context, or perspective. We know when we post, we will get likes, follows, and comments, but it doesn't mean we will receive what we really need.

The amount of information we see on a daily basis is overwhelming, but how often do we sit in it long enough for it to take root and actually produce real growth or change? We don't fully digest what we see, and we don't take enough time to see where the information applies before, we are on to the next thing. How often do we see something and say to ourselves, wow that applies to me, and it stops right there?

Safe spaces are created to not only say what's on our hearts. They are created to sit in and process truth so that we can identify areas where we missed, misinterpreted, or misidentified who we are based on our experiences or how people have treated us. We aren't just gathering information, we are learning how to apply it.

In that room, I saw a mother vulnerably ask a question in front of strangers, and a daughter respond in love and truth. In that room, tears fell not just because of pain, they fell because so many learned they weren't the only one. I saw women hug strangers as they processed the truth of what they desire, and the reality of what they will never receive, but the exchange was healing, community, and connection.

I have friends and sisters I share space with where I can be honest, vulnerable, and open. It took time. It took years to meet them, but it was in the gap that I discovered the need, the lack, and my desire for connection, although I pretended like I didn't need anyone. Every time I meet someone new, I realize that there are many who have not found their village. Just this week I was invited into a group because they see the value in what we are doing. I don't brag at all because sometimes I wonder will it live up to the expectations of others. But in these same spaces, I am meeting women accomplishing amazing things unsure, insecure, and battling with imposture syndrome. They are working in male dominated industries, constantly second guessed and judged, with minimal support, regardless of their degrees and accolades. This is why we need each other.

We embrace the woman that travels by faith to a new state with no family or friends. We welcome the woman who wants better but doesn't know how to get there. We comfort the mother that made mistakes, and although she cannot rewrite the past, she can create a better future. We get excited about the young woman with a dream because once she shares it, we can connect her with resources to turn that idea into reality. We open our hearts to the one that is hurting, growing, or thriving because we can all relate to those seasons of life. We are all imperfect women willing to share our stories through tears and receive the love and encouragement that reminds us that our stories have a purpose.

I know this is just the beginning of the permission movement, but for now I will be grateful that even I felt more freedom in that space. There is nothing better than receiving in a space that was on your heart to create for others. My heart is full, my hands are open, and my feet are ready to walk this out. We were reminded that we have permission to live, completely, fully, and unapologetically.