I will be dictated by love, by life, by conviction -- not by fear.

"The most often repeated commandment in the Bible is, 'Do not fear.' It's in there over two hundred times. That means a couple of things, if you think about it. It means we are going to be afraid, and it means we shouldn't let fear boss us around. Before I realized we are supposed to fight fear, I thought of fear as a subtle suggestion in our subconscious designed to keep us safe, or more importantly, to keep us from getting humiliated. And I guess it serves that purpose. But fear isn't only a guide to keep us safe; it's also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life." -Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

And that is only one of the many reasons that I fight for what I want, for what I believe, in my heart of hearts, is the right thing, no matter how scary it is. And that is why I do not regret telling my mom, telling my dad, calling him and emailing him, writing him letters. Because I do not let fear, fear of humiliation, of injured pride, fear of my family or fear of having to try hard (pathetic) stop me from doing what I think is right. And that's an aspect of my character that I do not wish to change. It's a part of me that I love. And it's a fundamental difference between me and the person I used to love. I know that now. I know it loud and clear.