So many of us swear up and down that we won’t use the “Just. Be. Cause” phrase with our kids when faced with the dreaded, “Why????” But sometimes, it really is the best answer, or its variant – “Because I said so” – as there really isn’t another answer other than that’s just the way it has to be!  This is EXACTLY what we’re going to flip on its head today. 

Just.

          How many definitions for this one…?  Three.  Thankfully simple words can have equally simple meanings and they are:

• Based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair
• Exactly
• Very recently, in the immediate past

Fair & Moral

Basing our behavior on what is moral, and fair has been something that for at least half of the US population has been severely lacking these past 4 years, and in particular the past 6 months.  Yes, it needed to be said, no apologies forthcoming.  How can we ignore the blatant falsehoods, the rampant racism, violence, and out-and-out immorality?  We cannot. We should not.  We will not.  Liberty and JUSTice for ALL.  This is not about equality; this is about equity.  No longer shall we exclude, inclusion must be the focus here & now.  Yes, we’re all different.  Thank goodness for that, otherwise how else do we learn, change, and grow?  It’s beyond time, but there is no better time to do what is moral.  Say what is needed to be said.  And act in a just manner.

Exactly.

That is just what we need.  Not said with a sarcastic bent – this time – but above IS just what we need!  Beyond that, we are fully immersed in a season of light, peace, love, and perhaps most importantly, hope.  There are those of us that have been hoping, wishing, and praying for much longer than recent memory.  There are others who despite all of the darkness they see, refuse to give up and make their own light for others to follow.

Who doesn’t love when something fits, feels, tastes, or simply is ‘just right’?  How about when someone comes along that changes you, utterly, and they were ‘just’ who you needed?  This knowing may not happen immediately, good ol’ hindsight being what it is, but these incidences happen.  All. The. Time.

Recently.

It’s hard to remember what happened 2 hours ago let alone yesterday, or last week.  The days, weeks, months have all blurred together for all of us.  So take a minute.  Reflect.  Think back.  Remember the immediate past so the upcoming moments don’t enact such a toll. 

Be.

          This is perhaps the yummiest part of what you’ll read today.  Find a cozy spot, a ray of sunshine, a moment in time to simply exist.  Let the thoughts roll in and around you.  Acknowledge all of your senses.  Live here for as long as it feels good.  Congrats, you have had a moment of ‘being’!

          Why is this important?  It’s in our universal label; we are human BEINGS.  Reminding our selves of this very thing and the difference in being and doing is so simple and yet so hard.

          We fight against what we perceive as stagnation.  Wasting time on doing nothing, no way!  But it isn’t doing nothing, it is a passive space true, but without moments of grace, silence, and simplicity, our actions lose meaning.  So take a minute, or 5, or 23.  Stop. And in the immortal words of Paul McCartney, “Let it Be”.

Cause.

          Here’s where the grit comes in, and then it’s up to all of you to find the pearl within. 

Cause and effect. 

Something to believe in & stand up for. 

This is the action piece.  This is where we show up.  This is when the change begins.  So what will this look like for you?  Will this be where the momentum stops?  When the going gets tough will you keep going?  This doesn’t mean to put your nose to the grindstone until it’s gone, what purpose will that serve other than pain – in more ways than one.  This is when we band together, lift someone up, hold someone’s hand, call, write, BE there.  Except when we can’t.  Sometimes the best thing we can do is nothing.  This is the other hard part when it’s someone else’s moment.  And then it’s up to us to be their support.  That’s it.  Still important, but it’s not about us all the time.

Every action has an opposite and equal reaction, and even if we don’t like the scientific reasoning behind that statement, it doesn’t take away the factuality.  Whatever we do matters.  Each word that’s uttered.  A single step.  No matter what we say or do, the impact is felt far beyond the initial mark.  Pebbles in a pond folks, that’s what we are.  So how far will your rings travel?  And more importantly, what will they say, or do beyond their creation?

Just Because.

          I’m a mom.  I’ve said this.  But I’ve also come to realize that my small humans ARE my just, be, and cause.  They look to me to do what is moral, and fair.  I show up for me, yes of course, but also for them.  If I don’t take care of myself and act, speak, do authentic me-things, then I cannot show up for them either, not really.  I choose the story I live and pass on.  I speak my truths and live them, painfully at times.  I fail and I own that.  I break and pick up the pieces – with help – and get back up and on.  I fail again.  Repeat.  I apologize, genuinely.  I learn.  I keep learning.  I love, deeply & fully.  I won’t ever stop. 

Just.

Be.

Cause.