31 Day Writing Challenge 2014,  On Being a Woman

A Place to Talk, Listen, and Share Our Stories

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“Wholehearted living … means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.”

Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

For the past four years I have been meeting with a lovely group of women every Tuesday morning for Bible study, coffee, treats, and friendship. It’s been a small group, just 5 or 6 of us, which means we have had a lot of time to talk about what is really going on in our lives, and to pray for each other in detail.

This week, instead of our normal Bible study, we started reading a book called The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown, and I think it is the perfect time in my life to be reading about what Brown calls “Wholehearted Living.” I have only read the first chapter so far, but I can tell that I’m going to learn a lot from this book.

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The author writes, “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.”

I love this concept. I am looking forward to reading Brown’s stories because I believe I have a lot to learn from her research and experience.

I wrote 5 posts on owning and sharing our stories, which you can read here. I mentioned a few months ago that I used to struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts. (If you missed it, read the post here.) I have struggled with all sorts of shame and mistakes, which you can read about in my book Goodnight to My Thoughts of You.

I share my stories, the good and bad, because I have found freedom in doing so. I have found freedom in saying, “Here is the best and worst of who I am. Here is where I have been and where I am headed.”

I believe that when we share our stories, we invite others to learn from our mistakes so they can make better choices, and we offer wisdom and hope. We also share our victories so others can rejoice with us and gain courage in their own lives, recognizing and sharing their own victories.

This month my focus is on embracing and sharing stories about pregnancy because I will soon give birth to my 5th child. I have had so many amazing conversations with women since I started this series on October 1st. I have heard encouraging and crazy stories, and ones that have brought me to tears.

Do you have a Bible study or a time set aside to chat and pray with other women?

My Tuesday morning Bible study is an important time to connect. I hope that this blog can be a place where you and I can connect. Even though it’s not the same as sitting down in the church library with a cup of coffee and a prayer request journal, I hope this blog can be a place where we can talk, listen, share our stories, and pray for each other. How can I pray for you?

xo,

Chelsea

Chelsea Rotunno is the author of Goodnight to My Thoughts of You, a novel about life as a Christian teen searching for true love.

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