Across the street from Grand Central Station in New York City, 500 change makers gathered bright and early yesterday morning for Auburn’s 16th annual Lives of Commitment breakfast.

At the end of our morning together, Valarie Kaur, director of Auburn’s social action initiative Groundswell, invited everyone in the room to self-address a postcard and write down a story about a life of commitment that inspires them.

Stories help us find courage within ourselves to be the change we want to see. Reading through the batch, I know this to be true. The stories are of mentors who labor on behalf of the marginalized, feminists who aren't afraid to speak their minds, friends who forward online petitions for social change.

In 6 months, when the stories are sent back to their writers, they will be reminders that inspire the change we want to see.

If you couldn’t make it to the Lives of Commitment breakfast this year, you can do this with us now. Click here to fill out the online form and we’ll send you your story in 6 months' time.

If you joined us for the beautiful breakfast yesterday, will you spread the energy and message of Lives of Commitment by forwarding this email now, or clicking the icons below to share via social media:

Our honorees shared what it takes to lead lives of commitment – the compassion, bravery, and wisdom it takes to trouble the waters and heal the world.

The Rev. Kanyere Eaton’s sermon about 'Saving some for ourselves' laid down the importance of community wellness and our own self-care.

Rabbi Sharon Brous revealed the urgency at the core of her faith – to bend the arc of history from slavery to freedom – not tomorrow or 40 years from now, but today.

And Cecile Richards retold the rich history of Planned Parenthood’s roots with the faith community, when churches and synagogues in the 1900s created an underground railroad for women’s reproductive healthcare needs.

I think we can all agree – we will not go back to the 1900s, when our mothers, sisters, and daughters did not have resources for family planning or even the right to vote.

Nor will we give up the fights of today – for a moral economy and an end to the rhetoric of hate, for LGBTQ dignity and gender justice, for bridging religious divides and building community.

Take a pause now, just a moment, to set your intention for the change you want to fight for today. Write a note to yourself with a story, a wish, or a commitment – for you or for the world. We’ll send it back to you in 6 months to help you be the change you want to see.