I can't make you love me. . .

It's been a long time, it's true.  I have spent a long time, now, too tired to live and questioning my life and my gifts.  I have been questioning whether writing is really one of my gifts or if I should free up some space in the blogosphere and in the world of the written word.  I have a brother who is baffled by the concept of blogs and at people's egotism to believe they actually have something to say that someone else would want to read.  Tonight I have been watching "The Song That Changed My Life," the episode with Fictionist.  Many of the things they talked about--creativity and spirituality among them--hit me, but the song they sang as one that was life-changing was "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt.  The song is specifically talking about being romantically loved by someone, but it made me think a lot about my doubts.  That, combined with a quote by Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss) (which reads, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind") have sent me back to a place similar to the one I was in when I wrote "Hesitation."  I can't make you love me.  I can only be me.  I can only share what is inside of me.  I can't make you approve of it or agree with it or appreciate it.  It's scary, but I have to remind myself that my worth or the worth of what I have to share isn't determined by your approval or appreciation.  It simply is.  You see, I don't agree with my brother that self-expression is egotism.  I think that each and every one of us has important things to say.  We may say them with words, or music or art.  We may say them through teaching others.  We may say them by giving hugs or building bridges or figuring out complicated mathematical concepts or in countless other ways.  But whatever those things are, we need to say them.  So I apologize if this feels like a rerun of a previous post.  Apparently these are realizations that are taking a while to sink in.  Some realizations are like that.  Whatever it is you need to say, please say it in whatever way works for you.  The world needs it.  The world needs each of us.  I need to hear your voice.