Another interpretation of the concept of “Loving Ourselves” is that we love ourselves so that we can truly love others. This means practicing self-compassion, staying aware of our needs, and making sure they are met as we continue our healing journey. We actively love ourselves not only because we are cherished creations, but because we genuinely desire to be vital conduits of love to others. 

The concept of “loving ourselves” can mean many things. At its healthiest, self-love means recognizing that we are worthy of care, dignity, forgiveness, and compassion. It lets us honor our own needs while staying deeply aware of others' needs.

Today I was aware that a stranger felt uncomfortable in my presence. He had arrived at our house to do an estimate for some repair work. His youth and demeanor let me know that he was not experienced in meeting people and quoting estimates for his work. In fact, he had just begun his own business. Oh, how I identified with this young man. I recall vividly my first days and weeks in my work when I was “wet behind the ears” so to speak, and everyone I met could probably sense it.

Long before we have words to explain our deepest selves, our souls already show us what they love and need. 

I walked up to the door of the mysterious house in the woods—the house I had seen countless times from afar but had never had the nerve to approach, climbed onto the porch, and rang the doorbell. I was curious about the mysterious people who lived there.

My soul’s home as a child included not only the yard, but the expansive woods just over the barbed wire fence. With our cocker spaniel Sparkle by my side, I’d bend the strands of prickly wire and climb through without a scrape. On the other side was another world—one of adventure, wonder, discovery, awe, freedom, risk, and even danger. I knew someone else owned those woods—there were metal “no trespassing” signs posted on several trees, and I found rabbit traps in several places. But to me, this land was my territory, my domain—my soul’s home, even if no one else knew it. 

“You can exist without your soul,” Professor Lupin explains, but without it a person loses all sense of identity and becomes an empty shell.

—J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I was happy at college. I had friends and thrived on my courses and activities, but something was always missing. I longed for home. Truly, there was no place like home, the place of my truest identity—where, from the first day of my life, I was loved most completely and where, in turn, I loved most deeply. I didn't want to live at home, but I missed it. I wished that I could carry the feeling of home with me in my new life at school. 

Homecoming does not always mean returning to the home one once knew. Sometimes the old home is gone, and in more ways than one. Sometimes that home is no longer safe, even if it once seemed so. In these instances, homecoming takes many forms.

Today I was talking with a wonderful lady who told me a heartwarming story about her 12-year-old grandson, who has just conquered a battle with leukemia.

“Today was his first day of school,” she said. “He’s in the seventh grade this year. I asked him what his favorite part of the day was. And you know what he told me? He said, ‘Coming home.’”

The Gift of Reviewing Your Day

Looking for Gifts

The Gift of Loving a Dog

Gifts Can Come in a Simple Prayer

Reconnecting to a Long-Lost Friend Is a Gift

Memories Are Gifts That Remind Us

Gifts Arrive Unplanned and Unannounced

November 21, 2024

Ultimately, we are in charge of our lives and make them whatever we choose. Of course, we are all affected by whichever government controls our nation, to weather and climate conditions, and illnesses. Yes, we make choices, and sometimes the things that happen to us, good and not so good, have nothing to do with our choices. But regardless of the overarching reality of life, we choose our responses to it.