Blog 3212 – 08.18.2024

Above All Be Kind

My son, Jay for Jonathan, is a wonderful dad. He has only been at it a year, but I am so impressed and proud of the way he had risen to the challenges of fatherhood. I am not at all convinced that most of us guys or even all you ladies come equipped and prepared to be parents. Most of us have a great deal from our own childhoods to unlearn, but if we allow our children they will teach us to be good parents. They will enlarge our hearts and teach us to be kind not only to them and to others, but most importantly to ourselves.

The ole saying goes, “Charity begins at home” or as William Shakespeare put it so succinctly, “To thine own self be true and thou canst be false to no man (woman or child.)” One of my favorite authors, Louise Hay, wrote that most of our problems stem from not loving ourselves enough. Even self-centered and narcissistic people who are thought to love themselves over much are usually overcompensating for not loving themselves enough. We record in high definition and surround sound every criticism or insult ever aimed at us by others and our ourselves and play them back in an endless loop till we break that tape and begin to accept ourselves for Who and Whose we truly are. Only then are we able to truly love and accept others.

Jesus two great commandments that are three or one really give us an outline of the way love really works, yet often we miss an important point. He said, “Love the Lord Thy God with all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” We think it goes – love God, love your neighbor, then love yourself, but actually we are to love God and our neighbor – as we love ourselves.

Yesterday, my wife and I visited with Jay and Emma. Lauren, the wife and mother of their little family, is an RN and works Saturdays so we visited her and Emma on Thursday. Jay shared with me that he used to think that he was patient, but that Emma has showed him that he is not. I said he needs to be patient with himself and not to worry for the women in his life especially little Emma will if he lets them not only teach him patience, but help him to become the highest and best version of himself.

This morning I texted him reminding him what a great dad he already is and sharing three things that I say to myself in my daily mantra. Namely that: I am patient. I am persistent. But, above all I am kind.” The reason I know these things are true about me is because I know Who and Whose I am, Who and Whose we all are in our heart of hearts.

Love yourself and fan the God spark within you.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White