The DAILY SPARK Blog

Nobody escapes being wounded.  We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.  The main question is not. 'How can we hide our wounds?' so we don't have to be embarrassed, but 'How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?'  When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.Quote by Henri NouwenREFLECTION:Do you try to hide your imperfections?Do you carry wounds that are a source of shame?How can you transform you wound to be a source of healing for others?

May Basket at Hammond Harwood House A good reputation is acquired by many actions; and can be lost by one.  Be upon your guard, therefore, against those weaknesses which may risk it.  Nothing can be more unjust than to judge a person by one single action; but the world is seldom just.  Quote by Philip Dormer Stanhope, The 4th Earl of Chesterfield - Letters To His SonREFLECTION:What kind of reputation do you have?Do you keep your "weaknesses" in check so as not to risk your good reputation?What actions can you take to build your reputation?

Frog hanging on for dear life... This wasn't about shedding my identity as a convicted murderer or embracing a different one as a writer.  It was about rejecting the emotional responses to trauma that were keeping me locked in a version of myself I no longer wanted to be.  We're all imprisoned in some way.  We all have our hidden prisons.  We cling to what's familiar, even when it's harmful because we're afraid of the unknown.  But true freedom means questioning those old beliefs, rejecting the outdated narratives, and creating a new identity.Quote by Shaka Senghor from his book HOW TO BE FREEREFLECTION:What hidden prison (identity) keeps you locked in to a version of yourself you no longer want to be?What old beliefs/outdated narratives about yourself need to be questioned?What new identity do you want to create for yourself?