“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth … It always protects, always trusts, always hopes.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

“What’s LOVE got to do with it?” sings Tina Turner …

LOVE is defined as an intense feeling of deep affection or a great interest and pleasure in something. 

The definition implies that there is an object for this intense fondness.  Most of us will agree that we love our partner, our kids, our friends … but what about ourselves?  As special needs moms it’s easy to love others but often we are neglected … 

Loving ourselves means not only giving ourselves some time during our busy lives but also allowing our thoughts, beliefs, and actions to shine and be heard, not only by those close to us, but also by those in our outer spheres of influence.

Do you have the courage to love yourself boldly? 

Or are you hiding the most intimate thoughts and beliefs of your heart, mind and soul and only reveal them if its … safe?

After all, being the lone voice, the “round peg trying to get into the square hole”, can make life even more challenging. 

What happens when we don’t live our life according to who we are and what we believe? 

We end up sacrificing ourselves - we adapt our principles, accommodate others, suffer from approval addiction and always need someone else to tell us we are okay or doing the right thing.  Having others tell us what is right relieves us of personal responsibility and lets us avoid the risk we take when we believe in ourselves.  We seek validation and answers from others possibly due to fear and feelings of exhaustion, guilt, shame, and low self-esteem.   

Consider what has been going on here in Canada and elsewhere … For 2 years we have been bombarded everywhere with propaganda and rhetoric daily from politicians and mainstream media.  Recently the Canadian government decided to slap a vaccine mandate on truckers who decided “enough is enough” and convoyed (is there such a verb? ;) ) their way from every direction to our capital.  They have been camped around the parliament buildings and have been joined by thousands of people from across the country (and abroad) to petition the federal and provincial governments to end mandates for vaccines and business and social restrictions.  People are tired and fed up – and now speaking and showing up to let others know what they think.

Did they all just change their minds? 

Or were most just keeping quiet because that was the safest and easiest way to survive? 

Social media reports from people petitioning in Ottawa indicate that they have never experienced so much love … They talk about having hope, laughter and joy and “better nights of sleep than they’ve had in a long time.” 

This “revolt” is occurring because enough people have become tired of living dyssynchronously with who they are and what they believe in.  Despite “towing the party line” for almost 2 years, they had enough and could no longer deny their truth.  They have become the dissenting voices against what has become the status quo. 

Does any of this feel like we are reliving history?  Nazi propaganda was essential in promoting the myth of the “national community” and identifying who should be excluded. The teacher Jane Elliot’s social experiment demonstrated how easy it was to get 3^rd grade students berating each other based on eye colour.  And currently neighbour is turning against neighbour based upon vaccine status while government officials ridicule truckers and others for loving themselves boldly enough to stand up for what they believe in and share it with the world. #notcool 

The thing is this.  Regardless of whether you agree with them or not, there is a lesson to learn from the dissenters.  They have loved themselves boldly enough to stand up for what they believe in and share not only with those close and safe, but with the world, regardless of consequences. They are not going to compromise themselves because living fully into their true authentic selves is more important than to live with who they become if they don’t.

Can you imagine what our world would be like without dissenters like Albert Einstein, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Malala Yousafzai, Nelson Mandela, Marie Curie, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Christopher Columbus, Joan of Arc, those who ran the Underground Railway and hid thousands of Jews during WWII?  Without dissenters there would be no change.  We would be a world of scared people giving into our fear and letting it control us. 

So what’s LOVE got to do with it? 

Absolutely everything.

As a mom to two teens, one with special needs, the last 2 years have been extremely difficult to parent through.  The hardest lesson to teach my kids has been about not just doing what everyone else is doing, but the importance of questioning, researching and making informed decisions for themselves … helping them to find their voice and be able to trust and love themselves enough to stand firm in what they believe in and do what their conscience tells them is right. As a special needs mom there isn’t a battle I chose to fight that I didn’t deserve to win.   

It’s not easy being a dissenter at any time. 

It’s doubly hard when your life and that of your kids is already “special” and different.   

You have the power already inside to love yourself boldly and courageously stand up for your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.  Don’t just take someone’s word for anything; question, investigate and decide what you believe.  Yeah, it can be scary. It’s easy to feel alone but I guarantee there are others out there who will support you.  You will find your tribe. 

You are beautiful, strong and unique and the world needs to know you.

Let yourself shine!   Share your love with the world.

Sending you and those you love and care for positive healthy energy, joy and love! 

- Lisa xo 

P.S. If you’ve felt that your relationship with yourself and others have degraded in quality, connection, and joy and you’re up for making change, reply and let me know.  I’m here to help.