It may be just a WORD spoken to you or an hour of TIME that a friend or family member gives to you, but both are forms of ENCOURAGEMENT, a much needed gift; to give and to receive. Encouragement does not always come from the person we need it to come from or at the exact time we need it or in the form we expect, but it will come. I am a natural encourager. I love to look for the “good” in people, finding ways to build them up and help them see their potential. I love to come along side young people who are dreaming of their future and discovering their passions.   …

Okay… that four letter word comes out of my mouth way too often (see, it just did!). How are you doing? Okay… How is work? Okay… How is life? Okay… What does OKAY even mean! Most of the time, okay is just a cover up for something deeper going on. It can be an excuse or a scapegoat to gloss over real issues. Sometimes, okay is the only word to describe the in between or confused emotions I am feeling. But what I really need to be okay with, is not being okay. I try so hard to be easy going that I don’t always voice my opinion. I try so hard to work things out on my own that I lie to myself about the depth of an issue. I try so hard to internalize things so I don’t make something an unnecessary conflict. But maybe it needs to be a discussion, disagreement, or conflict. Maybe I need to be honest. And maybe I need to speak up. What happens is something starts with being “just okay” and it ends up in frustration, bitterness, or resentment. I don’t ever set out for things to end up like that, but it happens. Something happens. I don’t want to react or be over dramatic. So I get quiet. I start thinking. And my emotions start eating away at me. At first the struggle was not that big of an issue, but now it is taking root and growing. Without even realizing it, something I tried to “deal with on my own” ends up being stirred up by something else. Then it comes out in my thoughts, words, and actions. NOT OKAY!   …