A friend recently shared that she had stood up for herself, said “No” to someone and then felt guilty.  How well I know that feeling!  Especially as women, we have been nurtured almost from birth to be sensitive to the needs and wants of others, with little regard for our own.  Perhaps it’s time for us – all of us – women and men, to spend a little more time with ourselves so that we might be attentive to our inner desires and needs.  Then, let us pray for the courage to stand up for ourselves and voice what it is we need without feeling guilty.

Please don’t misunderstand.  This is not to negate the needs and wants of others, or our responsibility to respond to them.  It is a call for us to give ourselves permission to have time alone so we can discern our own needs and wants, and then have the courage to articulate them without feeling guilt.  The moments we spend discovering our true selves will be graced moments.