You Always Belonged and You Always Will

You Always Belonged and You Always Will
Author: Martin Clay Fowler
Publisher: Zuberfowler Initiatives
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2014-07-11
Genre: Belonging (Social psychology)
ISBN: 9780615931326

You belong. You always did, and you always will. "You belong" is my benediction to you, not some claim about you. Belonging is the first gift of the living to the living. You ask: Belong to whom? Belong with what? Belong here? Belong now? On what terms? At the same time, you feel rightly that the benediction is a real gift which you needed even if you never asked for it. Working out the terms of belonging is the most human work we do together. Belonging is a basic human need and at the heart of global issues in the 21st century: refugees, immigration, and humanity's relationship with nature. But philosophers mostly ignore belonging, and some find it elusive to define or to put into perspective. Why does it matter to belong? Who can be sure of belonging? You may feel that you belong nowhere. My two words (which are now yours) mean that your belonging was never "nowhere." Your belonging is not problematic and not probationary. It's neither inclusion nor attachment. It's no comfort zone, familiar setting, a piece of turf, or your peace of mind. It's your vulnerability to transformation. This vulnerable belonging is not precarious, but living as though you and others don't belong is extremely insecure. Transformation is more than change; not always momentous, discontinuous, or miraculous, irreversably living in a right direction without seeing our destination. "You Always Belonged and You Always Will - a Philosophy of Belonging" argues that we only tell life's first story: strivings to transform internal and external environments. Life then looks busy, busy, busy. Let's tell life's second story too. Life sustains itself, but it also enables life to belong. Belonging is no relationship between distinct lives nor interaction, connection among lives. I propose that each life belongs in every life, and every life belongs in each life. This inter-situated reality helps evolution, ecosystems, and communities to function. Life's borders like skin and turf, don't limit a life's scope and meaning. Lives have insides and outsides, but that's packaging not the gift. Sound strange? Is this stranger than believing you can belong only inside your skin or on some patch of ground? Is this stranger than picturing belonging as ever fainter concentric ripples extending from you? Relationships provide the adhesive between lives, but it's belonging which places lives smack within lives. We experience belonging not as inner glow nor by invitation, but by exercising capacities you probably associate only with physical fitness: power, speed, strength, flexibility, accuracy, agility, balance, coordination, stamina, and endurance. These capacities are more than muscular skills. They are how we engage the world to belong. We experience life's core values: courage, justice, truth, peace, and love as we exercise and combine these capacities. We mix striving and belonging in activity to get a kinesthetic feel for these values in our lives...if we haven't already given up on living with meaningful activity. Our society's numbing expanse of inactivity makes belonging and meaningful activity seem larger than life. But they are both exactly life-sized, and you're a perfect fit. Belonging is not probationary, problematic, scarce, nor restricted to the lucky and few. We say that "extremophiles" belong only in inhospitable circumstances. Inhospitable to whom? Flip this around and declare every life an extremophile! It would be stranger to find a life that belongs nowhere! Humans anchor their belonging in being unique, rational, in control, most favored by God, or having intrinsic value, but belonging is enough authority to live, whether you're Isaac Newton or a spotted newt. No one makes you belong. You can't make yourself belong (why did no one explain this when you were thirteen?) As striving makes your life possible, belonging helps to make your life matter. There's a reason that the lock seems to fit your key. Welcome home.

Braving the Wilderness

Braving the Wilderness
Author: Brené Brown
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2019-08-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0812985818

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A timely and important book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection Don’t miss the five-part Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! “True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, MSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging. Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it’s easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.” Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness. Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.”

I'll Always Belong To You 2

I'll Always Belong To You 2
Author: Bianca
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2017-04-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1648401945

After finding out that her husband has been living a double life, one that included one of her close friends, Dr. Erica doesn’t know if she can continue to be with Bishop. He hurt her more than words can explain, and she’s not sure if she’ll be able to forgive him. Bishop tries to explain the situation, but will that stop Erica from signing on the dotted line? Dr. Grace is enjoying being with Exodus, but she has trust issues, and after going through his phone, she isn’t sure if Exodus is ready to be in a committed relationship. Exodus goes through great lengths to show Grace he’s ready, but will that be enough to keep Grace on his side? Dr. Monae is thrilled that her husband, Greg Johnson, served his time as the governor of Texas and is now able to be there for her and their twins. They’ve reconnected and are more in love than ever, but someone from her past threatens to ruin her perfect relationship. Will Monae confess secrets and take a chance at losing her family, or will she continue to lie to the man she loves? In this steamy and lusty finale, friendships are tested, lines are crossed, and love is definitely tested. These three young doctors are about to find out just how strong they are when it comes to love & forgiveness.

You Will Always Belong

You Will Always Belong
Author: Matthew Paul Turner
Publisher: Convergent Books
Total Pages: 21
Release: 2024-03-12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0593234766

From the national New York Times bestselling author of When God Made You comes a lyrical, beautifully illustrated story reminding children that their worth comes from who they were created to be from the very beginning, with all their unique gifts and personalities. You belong! You do. You have light inside you. You can join the big story and help God make things new. When you know who you are and your people do too, That light that you shine is your power, your truth. You Will Always Belong is a joyous reminder that we were created by God with infinite beauty and purpose from the day we were born, just by existing as who we are, with all of our quirks and differences. In this hopeful and encouraging children's book, parents and kids alike will be encouraged to live confidently and freely as their whole selves, certain that God created everyone exactly as they are supposed to be. In You Will Always Belong, children will discover: • The truth that we matter to God and were designed with purpose • Encouragement towards acceptance and contentment • The gentle reminder that the people who truly love us love ALL parts of us

I'll Always Belong to You

I'll Always Belong to You
Author: Bianca
Publisher: Sullivan Group Publishing
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2016-12-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1648401937

Life could appear perfect for those who are outside looking into Dr.’s Grace, Monae, and Erica’s lives. They are smart, successful, and run their own business. Dr. Monae, and Dr. Erica are married to successful men while Dr. Grace is swearing off men. Dr. Monae is married to one of the most powerful men in Texas, Governor Greg Johnson, who is so consumed with looking good for his peers that he neglects his wife needs. When she starts having eyes for someone else, will she risk her career, and family just to feel loved? Dr. Erica knows that she could be more successful than she already is, and while working towards that goal, she neglects her husband, Bishop Duncan, needs, which is a need for children. When her husband starts to roam, will Dr. Erica, put her own selfish needs aside to give her husband what he so desperately wants? After Dr. Grace catches her soon to be ex-husband in a compromising position, she is done with love and throws herself into her work, until she meets Exodus. Will she be able to put her work aside and try to love again? Secrets, lies, and betrayal seems to be the theme in these three friends professional and personal lives. Will the secrets that each of these friends are holding ruin their lives, or make their bond stronger? This steamy novel full of lust, love, and lies is sure to leave you wanting more.

A Cardinal Christmas

A Cardinal Christmas
Author: LoRee Peery
Publisher: Pelican Ventures Book Group
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2018-12-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1522301704

Blythe loves her job and doesn't need personal relationships, especially of the "love life" variety. Steeling herself from a recent heartbreak, Blythe focuses on furthering her successful career, but when her father needs surgery, Blythe returns home to help with the family auto shop. There, she comes face-to-face with the dreams of her past. Werner has been content to let life pass him by. Following the death of his parents and the loss of his job, he returns to the only place he's ever called home. He finds Blythe more breathtaking than he remembered. But her presence is only temporary and she refuses to let him in. Can Blythe leave her career behind for a whole new life? Though her heart cries to remain with Werner, can she risk being hurt again?

Back Roads to Belonging

Back Roads to Belonging
Author: Kristen Strong
Publisher: Revell
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2019-08-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493417908

At one time or another, shifting seasons in family, friendships, employment, and communities will bring each of us face-to-face with the feeling of being on the outside looking in. Because we are made for connection, this will often lead us down one of two roads. Either we will hop on the popular but crowded highway that asks us to do whatever it takes to get noticed, or we'll stand still, paralyzed by the fear that we're not important, loveable, or worth other people's time and attention. But what if there is another way? With an understanding voice that will speak into your own circumstances, Kristen Strong walks beside you along the less traveled but more satisfying third way--the back road way--to belonging: remaining in Christ and relaxing into the unique role God has for you. Along the way, you will learn simple, doable actions that not only will help you feel and know that you belong but will welcome others in as well.

Hand to Hold

Hand to Hold
Author: JJ Heller
Publisher: WaterBrook
Total Pages: 41
Release: 2021-07-20
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0593193253

This heartwarming picture book reassures children that a parent’s love never lets go—based on the poignant lyrics of JJ Heller’s beloved lullaby “Hand to Hold.” “May the living light inside you be the compass as you go / May you always know you have my hand to hold.” With delightful illustrations and an engaging rhyme scheme, this book offers the promise of security and love every child’s heart longs to know. From skipping stones and counting stars to climbing trees and telling stories, every moment is wrapped snugly in the certain warmth of a parent’s presence and God’s blessing. With poignancy and joy, this bedtime read captures the unconditional love parents want their children to know but so often fail to express amid the chaos of daily life.

You Belong Here

You Belong Here
Author: M. H. Clark
Publisher: Compendium Publishing & Communications
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9781938298998

A classic bedtime story journeys around the world, observing plants and animals everywhere, and reminding children that they are right where they belong.