To Lead, Live.

Dear LeaderShape,

In the almost six years since we first met, this may be the first letter I've ever written to you. For a guy who loves words and thrives on connection and community building through spoken and written word, it strikes me as odd that I've never taken the time to write you such a letter. I've just returned from the Co-Lead Retreat outside of Chicago (my second retreat in my role as a Co-Lead facilitator with the not-for-profit company) and my cup is full. Full of so many things and as I travel the country by air to return home to New Orleans and reflect on my last few days entrenched within the community, I feel compelled to write you. A letter of thanks. A letter of gratitude. A letter of love.

Committing oneself to creating a just, caring, and thriving world and to living and leading with integrity is bold. But then again, you are bold. You have challenged me to not only identify my values but also articulate and be proud of them and LIVE them. You have shown me that having a healthy disregard for the impossible is inspiring and that being true to myself -- to living an authentic life -- is something I should aspire to daily. I want to thank you for challenging me to lean into the discomfort, for being stretched beyond my own lenses to see the world a bit differently and for pushing me to own my own shit. Sitting in the mess, having the difficult conversations, and acknowledging the pain and hurt I may have (and most likely did) inflict on others as a result of my own ignorance and/or privilege is beyond difficult. But you sit there with me. You have shown me the importance of showing up and being present -- even when I am feeling drained and empty. Yet you have also taught me the necessity in showing up for those when they can't or are unable to while trusting that they will do the same for me. You have my back LeaderShape and I have yours. And for that I am grateful. 

The LeaderShape community is not a religious or a spiritual community. In fact for many in the community, those identifies evoke feelings of harm, feelings of pain, and feelings of shame. And yet, as someone who identifies as a Christian, this community has brought me closer to my own faith and to God. I have learned more from them about what it means to be in community, to love thy neighbor, and to treat others with kindness, compassion, and love. I find that being with this community warms my soul in a way that the Church hasn't always been able to do. Too much doctrine and misunderstanding and fear that hinders the breaking down of barriers.

Without you, LeaderShape, I'd likely still be dedicated to my career in higher education, to bettering my communities, and to fostering relationships with those around me. Community is something I value. However without you LeaderShape, I am confident that I wouldn't be as strong of a facilitator as I am and that I wouldn't be as willing or as effective in engaging in difficult dialogue and in challenging myself and those around me to dig deep and cut the bullshit. But most importantly, I know that without you LeaderShape, my community of choice wouldn't be as bright, as hopeful, as full of grace and love.

You have taught me so much LeaderShape and I look forward to our deepening relationship in the years to come. May you continue to mold and shape me and bring new relationships into my life that challenge me, inspire me, and remind me that though life is messy, it is also beautiful. I return home refreshed and full. Thank you, LeaderShape.