What You Do Makes a Difference

I didn’t choose this path. But maybe this is how transformation begins: The beginning of my advocacy journey.

I saw this quote on the back of a car window while dropping the girls off at school the other morning: "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." (which apparently is a Dr. Jane Goodall quote) I snapped a quick photo, drawn in by the words, and of course, my youngest asked what I was doing. I told her I liked what it said. What I didn’t tell her is just how deeply it resonated with me in this exact season of life.

Two weeks ago, I saw my ex-husband’s second appeal this year. And instead of freezing or sulking (for a whole day) like I might have in the past, something shifted. My body felt hijacked by adrenaline and purpose, and I wrote and sent tailored letters to representatives at all levels: city, county, state, and federal. Not just one or two, I sent it to eighteen, each one slightly different depending on the recipient’s role and scope of influence.