)
It was a bit over 9 months ago that we (Christina and Jessica) wrote the “Live Sincerely Pledge,” at about 3 in the morning. We were tired but inspired, having decided to shift our fear and worry over Vanessa’s then-becoming-apparent declining health, to what felt like a more purposeful and positive focus instead: framing in words how we wanted to strive to live, both during this current crisis but also for all of life in general. The finished pledge we ended up with didn’t change Vanessa’s situation and we had no grand plans of where to go from there with it, but it did help us feel a bit more in control of something, when everything out of our control was falling apart before our eyes.
It was not even a thought to us then the possibility that in less than a year, so many people (over 1600+), from so many far-flung places, would not only find out site, follow our sister story, and read our pledge, but then also take the added step to formally add their name to a list of those joining us in pledging to live in this way!
Beyond representation from all 50 states, there are now also over 45 countries where pledges have come from, too. (Even more new ones since I made this word cloud!)
Your support of our project, our family, our writing and even (especially!) our struggling, is beyond humbling. We are so very grateful for EACH of you who have linked your individual journeys with ours. Thank you for being here and sharing your story, too. We’re all in this together, even spread all over this big beautiful world.
All the unique pledge locations all over the world! We now have so many pledges that it breaks the mapping tool if I plug them them all in individually. :P So I reduced the pledge locations down to individual locations (country or state level) and plotted just that much smaller list. So, each pin above represents from 1 to hundreds of people who have pledged from that country or state. :)
Its a worldwide epidemic!! Pass it forward! Next is to conquer the universe! Resistance is futile…. :) I love what you are doing…. Thank you for sharing your lives with me.
Thank YOU for being here and joining in, Cindy. :)
whoa!!!!!!!!!!!! thats so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks jess for finding all this stuff out!!!!!!! :-)
Oh V, I love how much you love exclamation points. :)
You are so very welcome, my lovely V. :) See you tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)
LIVESTRONG my friends!!!!!!!!!!
I am so inspired by you ladies. Especially Vanessa. I wish my cousin Sofie could have met her. Sofie died a year ago last March from breast cancer. She was funny, insightful and brave. She was just like Vanessa is.
Thanks for your kind words, Diane. If Vanessa reminds you of Sofie, then your cousin must truly have been a wonderful woman. Insightful and brave – what a beautiful way to word it.