Hey you. You matter.

I’m not saying I play favorites, buuuut I love serving my email community with even more words from my heart. Whether it’s a reminder, story, or a simple dose of perspective we could all use from time to time, a little pep talk lands in your inbox at the end of each month, and I *truly* can’t believe I have the honor of doing this for so many.

Last week, I sent out the final email for 2020 and was blown away by the response it received. It was a true testament to the fact that even though we all travel down different paths in life, we are more interconnected than we know. As I wrapped up my first year of the email club, I was reaffirmed by the power our words hold and the impact they have when we choose to share them.

I think last week’s pep talk is one we all deserve to read, so I wanted to do something I’ve never done before and share it here with you. May these words speak the unwavering truth that no matter where you are on your journey of life, you matter.

Regardless of what has happened to you this year, I need you to know that you matter, friend.

You unequivocally and irrevocably matter.

I can’t speak on behalf of everyone, but I can say that this year has been remarkably challenging, unpredictable, and dare I say… unprecedented. (Can we please retire this word in 2021?) Long story short, we’ve been through it. Whatever our “it” may be— grief, pain, anxiety, depression, discouragement, you name it— we’ve earned a lifetime of battle scars in just 365 days.

Maybe it’s because I’m still in Christmas mode, but when I reflect on this past year, I can’t stop thinking about the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I can’t stop thinking about George Bailey, the hardships he faced, and how he became so defeated by all his problems that he failed to recognize how much his place in Bedford Falls mattered.

You know the storyline, right? It’s about a guy (George) who has big plans for his life but keeps getting sidetracked by a series of unfortunate events. He faces many obstacles in his personal and professional life, and it’s kind of a downer. Just when you think George is about to get back on track, something goes awry. You hope for a better ending to his problems, but instead, they just keep piling on. Then, just as George is feeling purposeless and as though his life doesn’t matter, an angel (Clarence!) swoops in to set him straight.

Clarence wastes no time in getting to the point. He’s working on earning his own angel wings, so his mission on Earth has no frills and games. He is simply there to show what life would have been like in a world without George Bailey. Spoiler alert: it ain’t pretty.

Clarence takes George through pivotal moments in his past (but now without him in it) and, suddenly, it starts to click. Suddenly, George realizes that, despite the many challenges he has faced or times he has felt like a failure, he still mattered in this world. He unequivocally and irrevocably mattered.

For years, I hated this movie for no other reason than the fact that I never gave it a chance. My dad and brother would watch it every Christmas night, and I would complain about watching the most depressing black and white film. After all, until Clarence comes along, it is a little depressing. So, instead, I’d pop my headphones in or go into my mom’s room to watch Miracle on 34th Street with her.

But, a few years ago, I met this girl who quickly became a close friend, the kind that knows you better than you know yourself sometimes. She challenged me to watch it all the way through just one time because she had a feeling I would love it. And she was absolutely right.

Much like George Bailey before his revelation, I’m feeling a little battered and bruised by all the things that tried to tear me down this year. But because I know my defeat is something that won’t go away at the stroke of midnight on January 1st, I’ve decided to flip the script a bit and ask myself:

What would Clarence do?

I think we could all use a Clarence in our lives these days, someone to shake some sense into the weary world as we carry so many emotions from 2020 into the new year. So, I started writing a narrative in my mind of all the things Clarence would declare over us. An anthem, if you will, for 2021. I imagine it would go something like this…

Dig a little deeper. Think a little harder. It’s easy to forget the amount of influence you could have in your community or in a person’s life when you’re busy trying to unravel the intricacies of your own. Remember that time you made a meal for your grieving neighbor? Or that text message you sent to a hurting friend to check in? It may sound so elementary, but they needed you at that moment more than ever. Sure, life may not always go according to plan. It may wreck your heart and crush your soul some days, but even in the mess, the world needs you. We don’t need grand gestures or noteworthy moments. We simply need you just as you are, showing up and committing to pressing forward in tough times because you have immeasurable purpose in your life.

Right here. Right now. In all that’s seen and unseen, you unequivocally and irrevocably matter.