Dear Friends,
It has been a heavy week for all of us.
*big exhale*
One of my #StopDropAndDance students, Laura, gave me daffodils and a card with the quote above, and it was my theme of the week. Hello thunderstorm, and yes we were 100% dancing in the rain all week long. If your emotions have been completely unstable this week too, then maybe you found yourself crying like I was during the "OK, Google" commercial that just aired in the Superbowl. The fact is, that life is hard, and how we navigate through the hard times, is what matters most.
Do you know what was beautiful this week?
Kobe.
The fans that gathered around Staples Center.
The murals painted of Kobe and Gigi.
The tributes paid to him on all levels from his own wife Vanessa to a friend of yours on your Facebook feed.
The opening of the Lakers game on Friday night and the video montage that brought even my husband to tears.
The legacy that he left behind.
Lisa.
The courage she showed coming to dance all week long even though she had just lost her son, Shayne.
The community that came to class to lift up Lisa and send her their love and energy.
The GoFundMe that raised over $60,000 when the goal was $10,000, thanks to donors like you who may not have even known Lisa or her family.
The Saturday morning Dance for Shayne class that no one could have ever imagined to take place as part of a funeral, but it did, and it was strangely healing as a way to release all our emotion.
The church that was so full that people stood in the hallways outside just to try and hear the service because they wanted to celebrate Shayne's life.
We don't need to have it all together. We don't need to pretend that everything is happy and cheerful. We just need to keep showing up. Keep reaching out. Keep dancing in the rain.
Love,
Grace
