Sunday, March 23, 2014

The Greatest Love of All

100 Words on Saturday - Write Tribe

     When I was little, I thrived in the radiance of my parents love and acceptance.  It was all I knew. 

      I went to school searching for even more love.  Instead of acceptance, I found ridicule: too short, four eyes, awkward, and shy.   I withdrew.    I struggled to accept love from anyone but my parents.

      Sad and broken, my soul mate found me loving me as I was.  Children arrived.  I lost myself  along the way.  Like a butterfly bursting from its chrysalis, I emerged.  In the end, I discovered the greatest love of all was inside me all along.





48 comments:

  1. Self love indeed is the greatest love of all. When we love ourselves, we realize that everything falls in place. Sadly this realization comes in so much later in life!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shilpa, I have found that to be true also. I wish we would realize it early on. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  2. Kathy, very nice...
    I think that's got to be one of the hardest things...those school years!
    Going from a parents unconditional love to discover there are people that will hate you for no good reason!
    Learning to "deal" with that fact of life is a crucial life skill, I think kids that are home schooled miss out on learning this early, and have a harder time later. Just my opinion.
    You certainly are a butterfly!!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joseph, I agree. As much as I would love to spare both my kids all the heartache they encounter at school, I think that keeping them home is kind of disservice because they wouldn't learn how to get along with all different kinds of people. They would miss out on experiencing school spirit and cheering on teams. They wouldn't learn how to work with others...and they wouldn't learn how to adjust to life's many disappoints and how to roll with the flow. I so appreciate you stopping by to read and for your sweet comments! They mean an awful lot! ♥

      Delete
  3. So true. It took me a long time to realize that it is so much easier to love other people completely when you love and accept yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christine, it really is! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  4. When you love yourself for who you are, it changes a lot of things! Awesome post! I can relate to you growing up! I was 4 eyes as well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Danny, It sure does. I wish I could have even liked myself growing up. I have a feeling things would have been a lot different! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  5. By the way, Kathy, is it you who are the giggles, or your trucker husband? I love the mental image of the giggling trucker. Can just see him giggling his way along a long straight, boring road. But, hey-ho! You probably mean that you are the giggler :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christine, I am the giggler in the house although when you get us together we laugh ourselves silly. I flap my hands like I am trying to fly and almost soak my panties with tears streaming and snot blowing. Yes I go all out when I laugh! LOL He and I are a lot a like but I am the one that gets the giggles. There was one time we went to the rodeo and we had to sit by the animal pens. Well, my daughter and I got laughing so bad because the animals were going beserk and kicking up their own shit. I looked at my daughter and said...guess I know where that line "a man got killed by a flying turd" came from and laughed our happy asses off. My son laughed with us. My husband moved a little away from us, because we were making a spectacle of ourselves and he was embarrassed. The old poop! I had me a grand time. So yes, I am the giggler! ♥

      Delete
  6. oh! That was very nice!!
    I loved how you have mentioned that self-love and realization are so important!!

    And that song by Whitney is simply awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pixie, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  7. Loving you is easy. I'm glad you figured that out. ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jo, awwww you are so nice! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

      Delete
  8. Yes, the losing of oneself...(sigh) Glad you burst free!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrea, I am so pleased you liked my post. I wish it would have happened sooner rather than later. My school years would have been a lot more fun! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  9. A lot of us have gotten scarred back in school. And memories of those days have do create bittersweet feelings..

    Richa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richa, they really do. There is a lot about those days I choose to not remember. It is hard when the time rolls around for high school reunions because I just couldn't bring myself to go. In hindsight, I should have went just because. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  10. Oh, yes, indeed, it is!!! We cannot truly love others unless we first learn to love ourselves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martha, very true. There is always something that is missing until you learn to accept and love yourself. You never really feel worthy. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  11. Wow...amazing how it was the opposite for me. I only found love & acceptance among my friends but not from my family, and definitely not from my parents. I mean they loved me in that I was their daughter but I was never encouraged to follow my heart & dreams, or accepted for who I am. And even now, no one's ever loved me as much as Russell does.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JoJo, I am glad that you had friends when you didn't have family. I am so happy you found Russell. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  12. Beautifully said Kathy, the best treasures are hidden in the places we seldom think to look for...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reshma, I think so and when we finally discover them they are that more precious and exciting! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  13. Touching, lovely !!
    I have four eyes, too. So I know how it will be, as a kid :) You've portrayed the emotions so so well....
    Love you for what you are Kathy !
    Hugs n Cheers !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sreeja, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  14. a spiritual touch to a very beautiful story. Loved it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rajlakshmi, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  15. Oh yes...for some of us the schhol days can really be mean..self doubt creeps in..loved your post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shiva, that was how my school days are. Now that my kids are in school, I can see it through a whole new perspective and help them from what I learned in hindsight. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  16. So poignant! If we don't love ourselves then who else will....The answer always is within us :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nabanita, Exactly! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  17. Self love is the greatest! Loved reading it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sheethal, I am so pleased you liked it!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  18. A feel-good story! And so true dear Kathy. thanks for sharing! A bit sad, and also with so much happiness:-) Yes, the greatest love is to love ourselves:-) If we do not then who will?:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eli, exactly! I have tried to promote that with both of my children ever since they were very small. So far they are doing a lot better with it than I ever did at their age. I am so proud of them! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  19. The greatest love was inside me all along!! Loved it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Swathi, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  20. So beautiful Kathy! Self-love is the most important... we need to be able to love ourselves for everything else to occur...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Psych Babbler, I am so pleased you enjoyed my post! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥
      ReplyDelete

      Delete
  21. I'm glad you realized how special you are, and that you have to give yourself love to appreciate everyone else. Wonderful inspiring post Kathy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  22. In great pain, there is great wisdom. Sorry you had to go through that as a child, but so glad you emerged as a butterfly, shrugging off the pain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shailaja, I agree. A person gains so much understanding through suffering in hindsight. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  23. I love the song and I am on a journey of discovering self love! Some memories come haunting back, but I seek ways to get past them. I love this song too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pratibha, me too! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete
  24. The greatest love was inside me all along..Do I need to say more, Kathy:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vishalbheeroo, I am so pleased you enjoyed my post. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

      Delete