02/08/2026
The power of communication is divine.
Good morning, dear family. My heart overflows with gratitude today. Yesterday I celebrated my twentieth birthday with my nonspeaking friends. It was my first birthday celebrated with friends, and I was unspeakably blessed by their presence and joy at participating in this historic event. You cannot imagine how rapturous it felt to have a previously dread-filled, anxiety-riddled event be such a deeply soul nourishing experience. I felt so seen, known, and loved.
In the past I would have anticipated my birthday for weeks, trying to prepare myself for the inevitable barrage of excruciating sensory overload, dysregulation, and weighty hopeful expectations of my loving but misguided family members who did their best to guess at appreciated gifts for me. Unfortunately they didn’t yet understand my body language was not a reliable form of communication, and they confused OCD compulsions for interest. So when I opened a gift that was really an OCD trigger, I was engulfed with despair knowing what was intended to bless was really an entrapping, isolating curse. I totally knew their heart of love toward me, but it was incredibly hard to feel it.
In the moment I only felt very alone, unseen, and unknown. Combine that with a mortifyingly uncontrollable body that may betray me and throw the giver’s gift and gesture of love on the ground, and balloons that might explode at any moment and trigger a fight or flight response, and the almost painful sense of my family holding their breaths against my disappointing response was more unintended pressure than I could bear.
But yesterday was an altogether different experience. Now that I have communication, connection, and friends and family who truly love me and know me, I felt deeply cared for in a safe place with zero pressure to respond a certain way, and I found myself totally and even easily able to enjoy each spot-on and thoughtful gift and freely express my appreciation and gratitude.
This is indeed the power of being seen, known and loved into wholeness and freedom. Instead of feeling fearful and trapped, I am experiencing an unending wellspring of thankfulness and joy. I know what has held me captive all of my life. By naming it and walking into it rather than hiding from it or avoiding it, I can overcome it and walk through it with God, friends, and family cheering me onward. I am experiencing real abundant life as God intended this side of eternity.
What about you? This same wellspring is available for you. Take my hand, and we will walk bravely forward together. Now see, know, and experience such deep and abiding love and belonging. Look above the frantic weight of expectation as it crashes into you. Reach out your hand and grasp his warm firm hand as he pulls you up to walk above the waves, and teaches you to dance and laugh upon the waters with your heart open to freedom.
Be brave, dear ones, today.
Love,
Jack
