I Gotta Have Faith

"Faith is stepping out on nothing

and landing on something"

I heard that years ago when I was in a hotel room in Turkey. It's one of those messages that came right on time. This was back in the days when I was a designer and I was in Turkey to get samples made to put in our showroom to show buyers the new designs we had for the season.

Sidebar: Note to Sheree ATL Housewife. This is how a desiger does it. You watch your garments getting made to make sure they are done right.

But I digress. I had never been to Turkey, heck, like Sarah Palin, I had never been out of the country and for this to be my first trip I was pretty scared. See, I was sent all by my lonesome to get the job done and I was not sure I could do it. Plus I had left my twin babies back at home. Eek.

I remember being in the hotel room on a Sunday flipping though the TV desperately looking for anything in English when I stumbled across BBC religious broadcasting. I rolled my eyes, but stopped anyway because it was the only thing in English and I was lonely. On the screen was an African preacher and I can't tell you what he was preaching on or talking about, but I do remember the one line he said that stuck with me all these many years.

"Faith is stepping out on nothing and landing on something."

Wham! I was dumbstruck. It was like a light-bulb went off. I felt like finally I got this faith thing. This believing in what you can't see thing. This believing in yourself, your ideas, your dreams, your hopes for the future, just believing. Faith. Wow.

So what brought this on? No, I'm not trying to convert any of you to the: Kwana Faith Believers Church. And really, like always, (I have teens) I'm talking to myself. Tell a friend about this blog, please. But seriously, It was another blog post that I read from a mother who lost her job and she was totally pissed at everything, rightly so. I get that. Cut to me most days. Just give me a reason and watch me go. Picture me with a cigarette and a cosmo and I don't even smoke.

I told her to have faith. Which sounds so lame and corny. Doesn't it? Then I remembered the saying from all those years ago. I hadn't thought of it in a long while and I really think I needed to. I think my Faith had been slipping a bit because Faith alone is nothing. Faith needs a partner. Action.

So thanks to her for this reminder and I hope in these terribly bleak economic times we all keep up our FAITH. Hey, layaway is back at tons of stores. Yeesh! Way to go out on high Bushie.

Best,

Kwana

Painting: Allegory of the Catholic Faith -Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632–1675)