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"Don’t ever stop going to the hard places in your life. For it is in the struggle we learn, grow, cry, and feel life differently. What hard place do you need to visit again in your life?"
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"Believing something to be true without truly knowing is dangerous. Never having sat across from a prisoner, I believed something about them. Having experienced a moment with them face-to-face, I’ve shifted for the better. What is something you have believed about someone else or a situation without truly knowing?"
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"Many times, the greatest thing you can do for someone is show up. When words fail, your presence breaks through the silence. Who do you need to show up for this week?"
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“Life is at its best when everything has fallen out of place, and you decide that you are going to fight to get them right, not when everything is going your way and everyone is praising you.” - Thisuri WanniaRachchi
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“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” - Christine Caine |
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In my 43 years, I’ve been trying to avoid one place in particular - prison. I can say I’ve successfully navigated this life path until last week, when I brought Concerts for Hope to two medium-security facilities just outside of Des Moines, IA. This is a forgotten place in the world, where 1,900 people live and 500 work in a different world. I’ve lived my whole life not thinking about the lives inside the buildings. Bringing these concerts reminded me so much of the work we do in Haiti. The level of desperation is visible, the desire for human connection is real, and the gratitude for showing up overflows. I see the world differently having walked through those bars and having met these individuals. And this is a good thing. To live a higher life, we must love even when it is difficult. To get into prison, we had every piece of musical equipment checked on the way in and out, down to every power cord. But it was all worth it, seeing the tears shed, shaking hands with people so grateful, and exchanging a smile on a human connection. Where in your life must you love differently, even when it is difficult? Where do you need to be intentional to live a higher life in a situation? To change your world isn’t complicated. Be the change you want to see over and over again. Show up in difficult situations and love difficult people. And the change will start to happen inside of you.
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If you enjoy this, please share with others. Share this newsletter on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or via email using this link: 3...2...1 Impact: When I Went to Prison
Tim Brand
Founder and CEO, Many Hands
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