A.Rae of Hope: Be A Light

The most inspiring stories, it seems, originate from such strong and courageous people who grow up in struggling childhoods. Who grow up too fast because they don't have a choice. Who, for so long, had to provide for their families because their father may have left the house and their mother is working 4 jobs to make ends meet. Who are told over and over again that they'll never amount to anything, that they'll never be anybody.

It seems like these people find a dream. They work and they work and they work harder. And it's these people that stick with it until this dream comes true.

And why?

Because they have nothing to lose...

Award winning actors. Grammy winning artists. Star athletes and billion dollar executives.

Now, I'm not saying every successful person comes from broken families or troubled childhoods, but those that have, well... I've followed their stories, I have. And while, for a minute, I'm truly inspired by their determination and refusal to lose. . . I can't relate.

What about the people that grow up in a family where everything you do, they support.
~~Run ins with the police not included. Sibling rivalry excluded.~~

What about a family with a foundation made from love, built from love, structured from love, and grew from love. The people that woke up in the morning surrounded by laughter (unless there was no froot loops and my their towels weren't heated when they got out the shower), made it through each day with mountains of support and encouragement, and when tough decisions need to be made -- they make them together.

All in.

All for one. One for all.

What about those people? What happens to them?

I mean,
Who, is your constant light when the world couldn't seem darker?
Who ~~begrudginly~~ happily shows up to every high school sports game, is in the audience at every play, and every award night, and every function there was because you can't make up your mind about what you wanted to try.
Who, when just told you want to move across the country not only helps you pack, but drives you the entire way.
Who is a constant source of support (in more ways than one) when you can't seem to pull it together, mistake after mistake, time after time, year after year.
Who holds the reigns just loose enough to let you learn from your mistakes, but tight enough so you won't fail?
Who swallows their fears to not only encourage your new career path, but writes a check to send you into a world unknown.
Who will love you forever, like you for always, as long as you're living, no matter what?
Who just willingly goes out and buys a cart full of Princess Baby Dolls on Black Friday so you can have 'on hand' ready to give to your princess across seas?

I mean, Who does that?

What happens to these people, when as they grow up, they're told they can be anything they want to be. They're told they can do anything they want to do. To dream a dream and work to achieve it.

What happens to them you ask?

They grow up believing it.

and they want to change the world by teaching others to believe it too.