Who and What

Today, while searching for something else, I came across the mountains of paper from my genealogy project.... and was reminded of the creed of my maternal heritage. The motto on the coat of arms for my maternal family is "Cruce dum spero fido"... which loosely translated means "As long as I breathe, I will hope". I remember when I first discovered the coat of arms and it's symbolism and motto... and how it just meshed with who I am.

I've never had a 'program' for my life. A friend of mine is big on the concept of 'non-negotiables'... there aren't many of those in my life either. I've never had a 'to do list' that I felt like I had to get through. Instead of that list of stuff to accomplish... instead of the checklist to work my way through... I've simply been confident of who I'm supposed to be. And that drives what I am. Such a big difference between 'who' and 'what'. Who I am is that internal compass that guides me every single day... that little voice that points me in the right direction... and provides the confidence when I veer off on the wrong direction. The who I am is the thing that I hold on to... the lead in my quest through life. The 'what' is just the result of allowing the 'who' to be the inner voice that guides the way.

And no matter 'what' I may become in my life... the 'who' that I am will always be there... shedding purpose and intent and light on each step along the path. Everything else is transient and nebulous... only the 'who' is real.
As long as that part of me breathes, I will hope.