Love Begins at Home

When I was a child growing up, we had a beautiful banner hanging in our family room. It was a picture of our house cut out of felt that my father made for my first Communion. Above our house were the words "Love begins at home". It was such a special present and I was honored that it hung in a place of importance for so many years.

As a child those words made me feel safe, loved. The message for me was that love started at home and then expanded outward to extended family, friends and beyond. The feeling of unconditional love was always present - so very important to a child's sense of well being.

The wisdom of these words continues to amaze me. At this stage in my life "Love begins at home" means even more to me - it means loving myself. And this is truly one of life's greatest challenges.

Have you ever noticed that we're our own worst critics? Complimenting oneself rarely happens and when someone else praises us, it's not always easy to accept. We learned that it's not a good thing to think too highly of ourselves.

What would it feel like if we loved ourselves?

We'd be happy with who we are, confident in our abilities, value ourselves and our contributions, treat ourselves kindly, be more open to listening to our bodies and our emotions, and feel grateful for where we are in our lives.

We're able to be and do these things for other people in our lives. Isn't it time we stop and remember "Love begins at home"?