Love.Life

LOVE LIFE: The Tale of Steve Fugate from Erin Henning on Vimeo.

Unexpected Brilliance

Brilliance....how would you define it? Right now I would say it's knowing you are exactly where your meant to be, although you may have no idea what lies before you. Three weeks ago Invisible Children offered me a position for this Fall as Lead Movement intern. My heart & intuition screamed YES, but the more practical side of me needed some time. Time to think and weigh out if it was the most practical decision. It took my best friend asking if I didn't stay would I regret it? Knowing that with 100% certainty I would.... I found my answer. So I am officially staying at Invisible Children until December, pioneering a new role within Movement and being given the chance to step into what I love. The road before me is unknown, I do know that it will be brilliant.

Brilliant because of the people I am about to meet, the stories yet to be created and told. In making my decision to stay I realized how could I even question whether it was right? I asked God to direct me, to open the doors, to help me find something that answered the call in my heart. He pursued me when I had forgotten what that felt like, and in turn has daily blown me away. Living a life that demands explanation, striving for authenticity, and being on the front lines of redefining this generation....that takes being prepared to do the uncomfortable.

The other day I had a wonderful conversation with someone I've only met briefly. It never ceases to amaze me how many of us (especially mid-twenties) feel this restlessness in our hearts, knowing it's time to shake things up but not necessarily knowing how or when. I wonder if everyone feels it? So many are able to sit back and let life pass in the most normal of ways. But then there are the ones that can never quite get away from the feeling of knowing there is more, wanting to find it, scared to jump, never quite able to shake it. Ultimately we either dive headfirst into the unknown or risk never meeting our true destiny, our true selves.

There is something incredibly special that lies within the hearts of this generation. Compassion, awareness, a fight for what is right, and the courage to stand up and create change. Most don't even comprehend the power they hold, I am just beginning to grasp it. Can you imagine if we all answered that call? If each of us were to strive to reach our greatest potential?

The.world.would.change.

I am surrounded by those very human beings every day, and I know the change that happens when they are joined in force and cause. The power that comes from being united in fighting for something greater than ourselves, it produces...brilliance. Brilliance that is endless, that inspires and empowers those around us.

I hope that everyone has the courage to answer that call, prepared to be ruined so that your own destiny can follow suit. Your story is greater than you can imagine..... and it's happening right now, the rest waiting to be written.

May life lead you to your unexpected brilliance.

-S-

Growing up

I'm on a train ( my favorite form of transportation) from LA to San Diego from visiting an old friend from home. Catching up on our lives and recanting our youth made me remember all of the beautiful people that have been in my life. All of those moments that shaped who I am. I was so lucky to be apart of a group of people that were like family from middle school-high school. Even amidst youthful insecurities and all of the questions that plague you.....I was so very blessed for the people that were in my life at that time. This weekend I visited one of those people and was reminded of so much. Through those conversations filled with laughter and sarcasm of times gone by I realized how much I wasn't paying attention. Not paying attention to the little details about the people around me during those years. Part of being a teenager I am sure. Now i see how limited my awareness was. Even when you thought you were "aware of eveything"

I can't wait to see how those beautiful peoples lives unfold. In ten, twenty years it will be amazing to see the families, adventures, loves, failures and creation that will happen.

So to all of my dear old friends....thank you for being apart of my life. Thank you for your magic.

following the brave

I am constantly just amazed by the beauty and pain of life. It is this incredible journey, where we rise to the occasion and then have massive failures. Every single person's life experience is so different, sometimes I think about what it might be like to be in someone else's head, just for a day. To see life in a different perspective, how would that change how I see the world? More and more I am personally seeing that following the path of the unknown, and seeking a deeper purpose in life leads you to meet the most authentic people on this planet. There is common thread that runs through those that are willing to dare venture into this life of unknown. Where your success is not measure by others opinion of you but by the lives you protect. Waking up everyday with the mission of protecting others across the world is a heavy load but a worthy cause. I stumbled across this movie quote the other day....sums up where my life is headed...

‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.
‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Is it fair that I can sit in a coffee shop in absolute safety and solitude, and a girl my age in Central East Africa fears for her life? Or that a woman in Libya is raped by fifteen men and forcibly silenced? Is it fair....NO. I don't understand it, I can't even begin to comprehend it but if I was inactive in bringing change then I think on some level I am just as much to blame. If your not apart of the solution then you are apart of the problem. Ignorance is not an excuse anymore. We are living in intense times and it is our generations responsibility to set the tone of change. If we don't stand up for what is right and true....then who will? I am so embarrassingly guilty of living life in a bubble the last few years. I paid attention to what was happening in the world but did nothing to change any of it. I am paying attention now and have definitely realized that being proactive in change is crucial

Thankful that I am learning to jump first and fear later....because through doing that I believe change can come, and peace will be restored.

Catalyst West

Watch live streaming video from catalystbackstage at livestream.com

Set Fire To The Rain

First off....I am obsessed with Adele's new album '21'....if you haven't heard it....get it now, do it now, like right now. It will change your life (over dramatic but its.....insane)

Since I have been in San Diego words such as 'epic, mind blowing, life changing, etc' are having everyday usage. There isn't a limit to those words in this new part of my life. Two years ago I said everyone needed to have a summer in a place like Bar Harbor, that still rings true, but now more than anything I have to say everyone needs to find this. This being a place where your life has a purpose so far greater than yourself. Where you have no idea what will happen in a few months, but you know that your being gifted with a glimpse of what the purpose of life is. Where you are able to witness the beauty of humanity in all its forms. Where your voice has power and the willingness to go against the tide is celebrated, and not just that but encouraged. It is as if all of those moments that I felt unrest in my soul, a deep yearning to be apart of more, work for something greater than my limited exposure...... are finding a resting place. This is only the beginning but its exhilarating to know that it exists.


Yesterday I went to church for the first time in at least a year. It was a small gathering in a elementary school's auditorium. No fanfare, just simple beautiful people coming together to worship. My heart stirred in a way I haven't felt in a long, long time. Instinctively I tried to avoid it, but finally let it overwhelm me. Deep in my heart I heard ' I am finding you again'...... and whether that was a response to the call in my heart or the Creator making His presence known I don't know.

I do know that in being here I feel royally set up in the most amazing way possible.

How do I even begin to describe this past week......

Days filled with calling high schools, churches and colleges across the country booking venues for the screening of 'Tony', reaching out to contacts trying to build the excitement for this epic tour. A tour consisting of 1700 screenings, 17 teams, 50 states and over 500,000 people......pushing forth a movement to end a war.

On an average Wednesday night being given the opportunity to hear from Lt. Colonel Africano Mande of the SPLA and learning of his intense journey of fighting for freedom and a country to call his own. Then directly after being literally....completely....and utterly blown away by Jason Russell ( IC co-founder) with his insane wisdom and honesty. His words moving and freeing, but calling you to strive for a higher depth of authenticity with both yourself and the world. Oh .....and then..... just going to the San Diego airport with the entire IC team to pick up our 19 Ugandan advocates. Standing in the airport surrounded by these stunning people realizing that five years ago sitting in my dorm room watching the 'Rough Cut', in no way could I have imagined the depth I would be involved. I knew then that my heart was forever changed by the story but didn't know how it would alter my life.

I've literally been here one month, but I know that being faced with the issues of this conflict, and the depth of education that I now have, there is no way I can ever turn away. That life will never be the same.....that its getting 'wrecked' in the best way possible.

So that was my week......well just a a small part of it...
to those I haven't had a chance to talk to ...I LOVE YOU!

....more to come...... <3>

Jump First...Fear Later

"Jump First Fear Later" is going to be my new motto for life...completely adopted from the IC values! I spent exactly two months at home visiting friends and family.....there were times that were both wonderful and painful, but all in all it was great to see the people I love. In those two months I spent a lot of time soul searching, doors were closing left and right. I didn't understand what was happening (and I still don't really)....but I felt as if my life was about to change in a huge way. Two weeks ago I received a call from Invisible Children, a non profit organization that I have cared deeply for over the past five years. If you haven't heard of them go to www.invisiblechildren.com and let yourself be blown away by their mission. They called and asked if I would want to come and be a Movement Intern until May and without hesitation I said YES!! Some may think I am out of my bloody mind, volunteering full time until May, working towards ending the war in Uganda and preventing further conflict in DR Congo. But there was not a question in my mind that I had to be apart of their efforts. I have been in San Diego a little over a week, working and living with 63 people and totally out my comfort zone. There are not words to explain how totally...incredibly...awesome these people are. They are all from 19-30's and from all walks of life, but unified in this one passionate goal. IC is launching their twelfth national tour to screen their newest documentary Tony. It is the story of Tony ( who was featured in the first documentary) and follows his life and how he has been affected by the war in Uganda. It also shows the evolution of Invisible Children over the past eight years and the new initiatives that are happening in the DR Congo. This past week I have learned in depth the conflict happening in the DR Congo and how much needs to happen. Being faced with real problems, tangible suffering brings you to reality quickly and haltingly.

I felt as if my life and direction was about to change....now I have no doubt. I can't tell you how yet but its happening. In the past week I have been so humbled by the amount of love, compassion and humanity that flows through the people I am surrounded by. My heart already feels stretched and I can tell that this experience, unlike any before is going to radically alter my path. Feeling overwhelmed doesn't even begin to describe it....

I had lunch Friday with some of the IC staff and sitting beside these people who have inspired me for years....and realizing that I am now apart of their work...... was mind blowing. But that revelation made me realize that now is the time to step up, and work harder than I ever have before. It is time to step into my full potential and use the gifts I have been given.


so excited for what is to come!

~Suz~