“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou

Inspirational quotes often get acknowledged, passed around but then soon forgotten, as though their purpose is for someone else to fulfill. I saw this one and felt compelled to share its wisdom as a remembrance of the amazing Maya Angelou who passed away in 2014. It represents much of how I view myself.

It’s a new year and my commitment to help five wrongfully convicted men is entering its sixth year. From the start of this journey, I’ve had supporters enthusiastically board the freedom train. Some who’ve ridden with me from the start are still with me while others have exited. Supporters come and go and I’m okay with that because this expedition is long and fraught with laborious uphill battles. I appreciate that we all have our limits and that it’s easy to grow weary. All any of us can do is try our best which to me is priceless. My spirits remain high in this calling I was chosen for. I know my commitment will never falter. Knowing that my whole life has prepared me for the challenges I face now keeps me steady and on course.

I think of how my spirit was silenced for most of my younger years. I remember feeling different, even ashamed of who I was. I never thought of myself as a leader. Life was about keeping a low profile and walking in the shadows of everyone else. I was desperate to fit in, to be liked, to have nice clothes. But that never happens to poor kids. Poor kids are stupid, frowned upon, funny looking, and different. Not worth the attention…at least, not nice attention. Because of those stereotypes, being different was not an attribute to be proud of.

It was a new experience and a blessing to finally realize my potential and to understand what I was meant to accomplish, and to not be ashamed of the hardships that got me to this place and time. When I was introduced to the plight of the wrongfully convicted I realized that my life would be incomplete until I opened my heart to receive the gift of leadership. That was when it really became clear that being different was essential and that the characteristics I possessed were exactly what were needed to pursue this legacy. I am still seen by others as different but what is great about that is my own understanding about being different. It takes courage to stand out. It takes abilities and strengths that many don’t have. What I feel now is a strong sense of self pride because I understand my life has valuable and that it can benefit others if I nurture my strengths in the proper way.

Our everyday actions become a culmination of our ethics…our biases which are cultivated through past experiences, observations and lessons learned. We generally call this influence. I prefer to define it as inspiration. Inspiration to me suggests provocation which leads to action. And I am certainly all about that. An example of this is when that lone red fox saunters through our backyard in broad daylight without a care in the world. He/she most definitely inspires the squirrels and rabbits to hightail it out of there with the utmost expediency! In that respect, inspiration motivates amid the presence of chaos. This is an awesome revelation for me. It is one thing to be influential but we often forget about our capacity to inspire. It’s empowering to realize we constantly initiate and react to inspiration on a daily basis. How we develop over time heavily depends on interpreting the tiniest indicators of inspiration such as that subtle squeeze of reassurance in a handshake, the emphasis on a specific word in a sentence, or a subtle facial expression that speaks more effectively than the spoken word.

Most of us don’t appreciate the multi-directional highway on which inspiration travels in everyday life. It comes in many guises both positive and negative. If we are indecisive and ignorant to its true meaning, we risk sabotaging the benefits, and miscalculating who we are meant to become. Keep in mind that we all travel on that same highway but what differentiates our paths is our ability to effectively sort out and process all of those tiny subtleties, categorize them into some sort of manageable semblance and to accurately define who we are based on the importance we’ve placed upon each one. This is not an easy task. But it is a vital one if we are to succeed in leaving this place better than when we arrived, or encouraging any kind of a worthy legacy.

Each morning as I catch up on the latest news and learn about all of the tragic events that have and are occurring all around the globe, I welcome the solace of knowing I try to be as akin in my movements as that lone fox. My step is one of purpose and determination, done with an intent to rouse, to initiate change, to abolish ignorance, and to lead with good intentions rather than with empty words. I know I am on the right path to gaining further knowledge and strength regarding my own potential. It is my wish that everyone experience the same in their lives because I’ve seen all too often, the anger associated with an unaccomplished and unfulfilled life.

There is so much I want to accomplish as I enter into this new year. I am hopeful that time will permit me to do at least most of it. Come along if you wish-stay however long you can. But know that I will not judge as I sit on that train for the duration of this ride!

This past year marked real progress in my mission to help free these men when the very competent and highly respected Minneapolis law firm of Fredrikson & Byron filed a motion on October 31^st on behalf of Keith Kutska; the lead suspect in the case. This means that it could be heading back to court. Hmmm…not a bad legacy for an unknown suburban wife and mother from Blaine, Minnesota.

In the next few weeks I will elaborate on aspects of that motion.

May you all have a wonderful New Year…