"It's so nice to see all of you again."

Do you remember me telling you that I run my church's women's group book club? The book this month is The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It is one of my all time favorite books. It is the reason that I decided that I want to be prepared for anything that may come along.



I hope that you'll read along with us. I thought that I'd ask for your comments on the book (kind of an on-line book club thang) around the 25th. I think it will be fun to see all of your responses to the book. I think it is a wonderful book, and I hope you will too!

The current book for the book club will be listed in the "CHALLENGES" section on my sidebar.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today as I was reading collecting leaves..and other little experiences, I was inspired when I read this:

"baby e at the science museum this afternoon upon seeing 10 reflections of himself in the revolving mirror: simultaneously smiling and taking in a really deep breath then he waves into the mirror 'it's so nice to see all of you again.'"

That is how I want to learn to greet myself.

How often I scrutinize myself, both in looks and the rest of what makes up "me", and forget to be a friend to myself. What a great thing it would be to be able to greet myself like this little one: as a sincere friend.

Do you do that, too? Spend so much time trying to improve this or that about yourself that you forget about the many admirable things that you do and are? Do you find that it makes you view yourself in a harsh way instead of in a loving way?

It is a hard thing to be human. To balance loving ourselves and others with the unconditional love that we all deserve, along with trying to nurture ourselves and others into becoming the people that we know we can be.

I find that I am as compassionate, or uncompassionate, with others as I am with myself. I find it interesting that the commandment that Jesus tried to teach was to "love our neighbor as ourselves." The very statement assumes that we love ourselves, doesn't it? I doubt very much that if one doesn't love themselves, that they have much love to give. Chances are that instead, they will be as judging of others as they are themselves.

So I am going to make a conscious effort to greet myself in the mirror with a smile. The same smile that I would smile at you as I greet you. I think that I owe it to myself.

And a little child shall lead them.

Have a wonderful day, and smile at yourself for me, will you?