sorry

I am going to start making a conscious effort to stop saying 'sorry' so much.

Don't get me wrong- I don't mean I am going to stop apologising when I am wrong. I am simply going to learn to not say 'sorry' unless there is something to be sorry for.

I've realised that often, and more so in meetings or in the presence of large groups of people, I tend to begin every but with a 'sorry, but....'

Why should I apologise for disagreeing with someone, or for having an opinion?

In the same vein, we should all stop saying 'just' so much. I don't 'just' think. I think. I feel affronted when people don't value my opinion but I can't expect someone to value what I am saying if I do not value my own words.

So I refuse to continue being one of those girls who belittles herself before she even opens her mouth.

I will not apologise for having an opinion, I will not apologise for what I have to say, and I will not lessen the worth of what I have to say before I even say it.

"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.

For as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost. When I'm feeling most ghost-like, it is your remembering me that helps remind me that I actually exist. When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation. When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way.

If you forget me, one of the ways I remember who I am will be gone. If you forget, part of who I am will be gone."

Frederick Buechner (American author b. 1926)