Words are Life. Choose BRAVE

When I turned 60 on May 31, my family surprised me with a cake.

A cake made of words.

The best kind of cake you can give a writer is one made of words. As the author of The Book Thief wrote, "Words are life."

My daughter asked my family to describe me then had their words inscribed in icing on a cake from Wild Flour Bakery.

What a joy to see how they saw me: Brave. Warrior. Passionate. Loving. Spiritual. Helpful. Intense. Author. Inspiring. Generous. Fun. 

Then everyone around the table chose one word on the cake and shared how they saw that quality in me. It was a love fest.

Then her husband, James, asked me to choose one of the words and share how I saw that in myself.

I chose the word BRAVE, mostly because I've been afraid my whole life. Afraid of life.

I used to think that meant I wasn't brave. Not after I found this quote: "Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."

To be brave isn't to have no fear, it's to not let fear stop you from having a joyful, vibrant life, which is what I have.