Category Archives: acts of grace

The Unguarded Heart

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Where does one thought end and the next begin? Is there a clear separation between them? Or do thoughts blend together, much like early morning ponderings, clamoring for attention and struggling to make sense of overwhelming thoughts that seem too vast to grasp?

Several years ago, as part of my work at the Homeless Foundation, I organized an information session in a community where we aimed to build 30 units of affordable housing for individuals with a history of homelessness.

However, the community did not want us there. While their resistance to the project was not unusual, their actions to impede the permits required for construction were unexpected.

On the night of the information session, a crowd of 150 people showed up, mostly in opposition to the project. Understandably, few who supported the initiative attended. The naysayers were highly vocal and the atmosphere among the angry crowd was unpleasant.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when the crowd transformed into a mob. They raised their fists in the air, shouting and chanting, “We don’t want you here! We don’t want you here!”

Since one of the leaders had been speaking to me just moments before the mob formed, they surrounded me and directed their chants towards me.

In that moment, I intellectually understood that their anger, raised fists, and “We don’t want you here!” were not personal attacks on me. Outwardly, I remained calm, instructing my co-workers to pack up our signage and materials, and informing the crowd that we had heard their concerns and would be leaving so they could talk among themselves.

Their immediate response was to yell back, “You can’t leave. You have to tell us what we need to do to prevent the construction in our community.”

The only response I could give them was, “I don’t have your answers. You need to work on finding them yourselves.”

For many reasons, we ultimately decided not to proceed with that project.

Here’s the thing: though, that incident triggered a deeply ingrained limiting belief within me. It was one of those messages that I internalized during my childhood, not because the people around me explicitly said, “you don’t belong here,” but rather due to the confusing and unsettling experiences I encountered as a child. I interpreted those experiences as a sign that something was wrong with me, that I didn’t fit in or belong within my own family.

Healing that broken place within me has been a lifelong journey. It has required conscious practice of self-love and acceptance, therapy, workshops, extensive writing, and an ongoing commitment to embracing my true self. I strive to be a person who is loving, kind, caring, compassionate, and thoughtful of others, ensuring that my words and actions do not cause harm to the world and those who inhabit it.

My wise daughters have often remarked that I guard my heart, and while there may have been valid reasons in the past, living with a guarded heart is not how I wish to exist in this world.

I desire to live with my heart beating wild and free, capable of love, deep emotions, and experiencing all of life’s beauty, light, and darkness, fully.

Which is why, when faced with moments that tempt me to once again shield my heart and withdraw, I remind myself of the woman who confronted a mob and summoned the courage to face her inner demons, enabling her to live a life unencumbered by fear and full of love.

In each of our lives, there are moments when we unintentionally, and perhaps sometimes intentionally, say or do things that cause harm to others or ourselves. We are all fallible humans, carrying our own wounds and scars, grappling with unease and unexpected eruptions of pain.

Just like me, you too have experienced the sting of loss and the agony of betrayal. And, just like me, you too strive to be the person you aspire to be in this world. You seek the joy of being loved, loving others, and feeling a sense of significance and belonging.

Living with an open heart means listening to the wisdom it imparts. Despite what my critical inner voice may suggest, my wise heart recognizes that my belonging is not contingent upon the actions and words of others. It is rooted in my deep belief that I am a courageous woman who endeavors to touch hearts with gentle and loving hands, to broaden minds with caring and compassionate thoughts, and to live by the truth I hold dear.

No matter the circumstances, regardless of what others say or do, irrespective of how lost or confused I may feel or how tumultuous the storms around me become, I firmly believe that love is the only answer.

Sugar and Spce and Everything Nice – but no red wine please

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There are things that make my world go quiet. Things that make it sparkle and shine. And things that settle around me like being wrapped in a cozy blanket in front of a roaring fire on a chilly winter’s day.

This week held all three.

Arthritis, and a night without sleep, quieten my world. I’m not sure what’s triggered it this week (I have my suspicions – no more red wine on this adventure for me), but my feet decided it was their turn to make their presence known.

Softly, gently I walk. Each step a careful examination of how to place each foot to radiate the minimum amount of angst. And with each step, I remember to pay attention to my surroundings, to be aware of the beauty in every moment.

My sister makes the BEST charcuterie trays ever — though I do think she might have thought I said 100 people instead of 10…

Father’s Day dinner was a weekend of sparkle and shine. Sure, it could be that mixing two days on my feet with red wine may have contributed to Sunday night’s sleepless nature, but even arthritis can’t diminish the joy of sharing time, food (and wine) with those I love, not to mention the joy I get setting a pretty table. It all mixes up into a wonderful a recipe for love, laughter and life full of sparkly moments! Add to the mix the anticipation of my eldest daughter and her family arriving this weekend for a week’s visit, and the sparkle amps up to kleig light velocity!

And, the feelling of being wrapped up in a cozy blanket? Well, that comes from spending time in my studio (after a long hiatus) creating a tiny book for my granddaughter’s 3rd birthday.

I had created one for her brother’s first birthday, which she recently found, and according to my daughter, is fascinated by it. Not so much the story but the fact, her YiaYa made it.

I couldn’t resist the call to make Ivy one of her own! (and thanks to that sleepless night, I’m half finished!)

The beauty of a sleepless night is, it doesn’t diminish the muses calling, and it does open up time to dive into creative expressions!

For me, it is the ‘Big Thing’ in all of it….

No matter what life throws or pours or drips onto my plate, my life is richer when I stop, breathe, centre myself and find the value in all things.

From trauma to little moments of doubt, there is always an opportunity to learn and grow and expand beyond what I know or think are my limits, or the walls of my comfot zone, to experience the more of what life has to offer.

I’ll take it — with a side of sugar and spice and everything nice, of course, but no red wine please.

Flourishing where you’re planted: A lesson from the garden

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I’m not known for my gardening expertise. Growing up in Germany, the gardeners who tended to my parent’s yard kindly asked me not to assist them after I mistakenly pulled out flowers instead of weeds from the rock garden. Their request left an impression on me and stunted my desire to gardening career.

I’ve always stuck to planting pots, avoiding the complexities of full-fledged gardens. However, one year, I mustered the courage to dig up a patch of grass in our backyard and create a flower garden. I was proud of my efforts, but it didn’t last long. Our mischievous Golden Retriever, Ellie, and the squirrels she loved to chase through the yard, wreaked havoc, erasing most of my labours and leaving only fallen leaves and petals. I took it as a sign that I should stick to pots.

In the summer of 2020, the year my mother passed away, a generous neighbor gifted me three beautiful purple irises from her garden. With my trowel in hand, and trepidation in my heart, I plunked them into the earth the giant fir tree in our frontyard. I’d occassionally water them, poke around and pull out weeds at their stems, and pray a lot for their survival.

Fast forward two years, and those three irises have multiplied into a stunning display. A neighbor across the street even remarked that I must have a green thumb. I chuckled and corrected her, confessing that I simply have resilient plants.

Life is a lot like that. We find ourselves planted in the garden bed of our family, or something resembling it. The caretakers of that garden do their best, wrestling with their own self-doubts and limiting beliefs about being parents or ability to function in an often unfriendly world.

We take root. We reach for the sun. We navigate the sometimes daunting mystery of the garden of our life, where the path ahead is obscured.

And yet, we continue to grow.

Our growth may face obstacles—a lack of nourishment, care, or support. But still, we dig deep, anchor ourselves, spread our roots and expand.

My irises flourish not because of my expertise or nurturing (remember, my limiting belief tells me I’m not a gardener). They thrive despite my lack of gardening prowess because they seize any opportunity to grow. Survival is their instinct, and that’s precisely what they’ve done.

I cherish these irises. They serve as a potent reminder of life’s beauty and mysteries. They also bear my mother’s namesake, connecting me to her enduring spirit of kindness and her desire to always see the beauty in all things.

Moreover, they invite me to confront my own limiting beliefs about gardening – and other things too. They challenge me to dig into those beliefs, uproot the weeds of doubt, and allow myself to flourish right where I’m planted.

How’s the garden of your life today? Are you tending to it with loving care? Are you uprooting weeds and watering the flowers?

Or, are you letting limiting beliefs keep you rooted in the muds of past mistakes and dead end adventures?

Is it time to let nature have its way and flourish right where you’re planted?

Namaste

Life is full of waves. Embrace Them.

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I turn 70 this year.

Yep, the big seven-zero. And let me tell you, this weekend was a stark reminder of how time flies and how our bodies change along with it.

It all started on Saturday morning when I decided to join a drumming circle to connect with life’s rhythms. It was a great way to kick off the weekend. Afterward, I attended a workshop called “Connect,” which is part of the Discovery Seminars I coach. In Connect, the focus is on enhancing our understanding of our communication styles and how to more effectively connect with others.

All was going well until, out of nowhere, my right knee decided to make a grand entrance. And boy, did it make its presence known. It began with a little bit of swelling in the back and then… it started screaming, “I’m here!” By Saturday night, I could barely walk. The pain escalated to the point where, by Sunday morning, I was throwing up and couldn’t stand. Ouch!

Finally, after calling 8.1.1. for medical advice, and being told I’d best go to the hospital and have it checked given I’d been in pain for so many hours, we called an ambulance. My husband, who suffers from COPD, wasn’t able to help me get to the car.and I definitely couldn’t navigate my way there, even with crutches. My leg just wouldn’t bear the weight.

Fast foward to several hours in Emerg, I arrive back home late Sunday afternoon with my knee drained of excess fluids, some pain killers and a prescription for anti-inflammatories along with directions to RICE my knee for at least 72 hours. RICE, btw, stands for Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. Who knew?

Oh. And a diagnosis that makes my almost 70 years on this earth seem older than I think I am — Inflammatory Arthritis.

Ugh. I mean seriously? Arthritis can just decide to attack and inflame a joint at whim? Now that’s not fair. But then, my mother always told me, life wasn’t fair. Get over it.

Sigh. If only I’d listened to her advice, or at least when she’d cautioned me, all those years ago, to ‘be careful’. If only I hadn’t always thought I had 16 year old knees every time I attacked a mogul field and if only…

If only’s don’t matter in the here and now.

The fact is, there’s no use dwelling on the “if only’s.” I can’t change the past, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to. I loved skiing like a maniac when I was younger, challenging myself on mogul fields, cruising down groomed slopes, and floating through deep powder. It was exhilarating. And guess what? I can still enjoy some of it without trying to prove that my knees are still 16 years old. Because, well, they’re not!

What matters in the here and now is how I navigate what is here. Now.

And that is my choice. I can do it with denial. I can do it with anger. Or… I can do it with grace.

I choose grace.

By embracing grace, I open myself up to life as it is, not as I wish it to be. I can appreciate my body as this incredible vessel that has carried me through so much and still has plenty more to go (hopefully) before I take my final breath.

So, here’s to cherishing the present, embracing our limitations, and gracefully riding the waves of life.

I mean, it’s been an incredible ride thus far, I’m looking forward to all the adventures yet to come!

Status Quo and Other Steady Spaces

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Have you ever found yourself thinking, “Let’s just keep things the way they are”? It’s easy to fall into the comfort of the status quo, where everything feels familiar and safe. After all, why change or fix something if it isn’t broken or working just fine, right?

But then, life happens. Unexpected events occur, and suddenly, everything is turned upside down.

It’s during these interruptions that we face a crucial choice: do we resist change and cling to what we know, or do we confront our fear of change and embrace new possibilities?

Maintaining the status quo is like finding your balance on a boat. When the waters are calm, there’s no need to question your steps. But when the seas get rough, you have to adjust your stride, find stability, and hold on tight.

Don’t get me wrong, the status quo has its benefits. It gives us space to breathe and assess our surroundings. But if we look closely, we may discover pockets of unease or areas where our lives have become overgrown with dissatisfaction.

Yesterday afternoon, a group of strangers walked into the Discovery Seminar Room to explore how the status quo is holding them back from living their best lives yet. For some, all it will take is a shift in perspective to see their lives and surroundings in a new light. Others will need to dig deep, challenging the limiting beliefs that are keeping them stuck in the past.

For all, it will be a journey into self-discovery where they uncover the incredible beauty of their human essence. Because, no matter where they go with their own personal discovery journey, in the end, they will all find a beautiful truth—they are worthy of love, deserving of joy, and free to take this adventure of life unhindered by regrets or the baggage that was holding them back from living the life of their dreams.  

In all our lives, the status quo we cling to so tightly is often the very barrier preventing us from experiencing a life filled with passion, joy, deep, meaningful relationships, inner peace and self-acceptance.

So, the next time life throws you a curveball, consider letting go of the familiar. Embrace change as an opportunity to uncover your true potential and live a life that resonates with authenticity and fulfillment.

Remember, change may be challenging and purposefully setting out to discover the things that may be holding you back in life may feel daunting, but it opens doors to a world where you can truly, madly, deeply fall in love with yourself.

And loving yourself truly, madly, deeply is the gateway to life unbounded!

Embracing Imperfection

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We live in a beautifully imperfect world. A world full of mystery, wonder and awe-inspiring moments, including, dark and forboding times.

What if, it all belongs?

What if it is our constant struggle to be perfect and to create perfection all around us that causes strife, our lack of connection and belonging in this world?

It’s a not so subtle force, this desire to be perfect and to make the world around us perfect. Its constant yammering to do better, be better, make better of ourselves and everything we create, achieve, buy and do in the world leaves us feeling dissatisfied and sometimes defeated by ourselves. Its constant wailing pounds away at our peace of mind disrupting our ability to be together in peace in the world.

In its strident calling out for justice, in its insistence that ‘this’ or ‘that’ do not belong in the world, in its labelling of human suffering and misdeeds as ‘wrong’, in its endless battling against one foe versus another, it denies the inescapable truth — Imperfections, sorrows, and struggles are threads woven into the tapestry of our shared human journey.

As long as we do not accept each other and our shared journey, the everything we perceive as imperfect will remain as thorns that prick away at the tapestry of our human journey causing knots of discord everywhere.

It is in our acceptance of imperfections that freedom waits. Acceptance should not be mistaken for resignation or passivity. It does not imply giving up on striving for change, justice, and truth. Instead, acceptance allows us to relinquish the habit of railing against perceived injustices and embrace the imperfect nature of our existence. By understanding that imperfections are an integral part of being human, we foster a sense of belonging and unity in our ability to work together in our shared imperfections.

For me, my quest for perfection often leaves me exhausted. In my journey, I’ve gathered together a tool-kit full of ways to quieten my need for perfection–meditation, exercise, dance, creative endeavours, being in nature. Yet still, there are times I refuse to do the things I know calm and heal me. Still, my quest for perfection raises its persistent voice whenever I fall into the belief that I am separate from the world around me or that the world around me is separate from me by our differences..

The desire for perfection keeps us separate from one another,. Those whom we deem ‘different’, the things we deem unwanted, become the barriers to the things we want most as human beings — a sense of belonging, that we fit in, that we are loved and needed on this journey. In that separation, we arm ourselves against our fears of the other, and lose our belief in our power to affect postiive change, together.

Love is perfect and when I when I choose to stand, strong of back, soft of heart, and lay down my arms full of discord and open them instead to Love, I find myself in a more peaceful, loving world.

When I choose to focus on changing the things I can with loving-kindness, my ripple becomes part of our collective power to change the world for everyone.

Our world is full of imperfectios amidst its perfect beauty. When we let go of criticizing, compaining and condemning the things we do not understand, or judge too harshly, we pave the way for perfect Love, together.

What about you?  Are you holding onto your perfect armor, hoping it will protect you from life’s imperfections? Are you holding yourself separate from all the world’s perfectly imperfect beauty?

Remember the Core

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For some reason, as I dive deep into my morning meditation, the words “Remember, The Core” pop into my head. In my mind’s eye, the letters are capitalized, much like Calgary’s downtown shopping area known as The Core. But that can’t be what I’m meant to remember, can it?

In the midst of my meditation, a soft laugh escapes from within me.

The core.

Not a bustling shopping center, but rather my belly—the muscles I am meant to keep strong to support my skeleton, enabling my body to stay upright and in motion.

Today’s meditation was far from serene. I drifted in and out of focus, much like the wisps of smoke drifting along the river’s surface this morning. While the sky above remained a vibrant blue, the river valley was veiled in a hazy uncertainty.

I consult my trusted Air Quality app, a morning ritual I rely on several times a day. It shows a reading of 3 today, down from yesterday’s 9. Moderate risk. According to the app, it’s deemed safe to venture outdoors.

Here along the river, it doesn’t look it, I step out onto the deck. The smell of smoke lingers in the air, its presence visible above the water’s surface.

I close the door, disregarding the app’s advice.

Seated at my laptop, I find myself confronted with unwritten thoughts. I’m aware of what I’m avoiding.

Today marks the twenty-year anniversary of my rebirth. At 9:14 a.m., twenty years ago yesterday, the man whose name no longer holds power over me was arrested, liberating me to reclaim my life.

It was on this very morning, two decades ago, that I began to write myself back into existence.

Yesterday, while working on my book, tentatively titled “Dare Boldly: Cultivating Passion and Joy After Life Knocks You Down,” I took a brief pause to browse my social media feeds.

There, at the top of my Facebook page, a memory resurfaced from four years ago.

“On this day four years ago,” it began.

It was May 21, 2019—the date I shared an article on my blog recounting the significance of that very day in 2003.

The day I reclaimed my life.

The day I awakened.

The day I discovered that hope still thrived amidst the shadows of abuse.

I had forgotten.

Even though my book delves into the journey of healing after that relationship, employing it as a framework for numerous exercises within its pages, I had let the weight of that memory slip my mind.

Yet, as I contemplated the Facebook memory, all I could think was, “Wow, I’ve come a long way.”

This is not the first time the significance of that date has faded with the passing years. Life, like ripples on water, expands ceaselessly, unveiling beauty, wonder, and awe.

Today, as smoke gently skims the river’s surface, the Canada Goose—a faithful visitor who builds her nest on the riverbank below every spring—lands with a clunk on the railing of our upper deck. Standing tall, neck outstretched to the full length of her avian skeleton, she surveys the surrounding land, her eyes watchful for any lurking predators.

And every year, time moves forward, an unbroken stream of passing moments, each carrying its own gifts.

For amidst my journey into and out of abuse, I have gleaned one unyielding truth, a truth that forms the core of my existence and shapes my beliefs in the beauty of life today: Regardless of the chaos surrounding me, when I actively seek to find the value in all things, when I embrace the gifts within each moment, disappointment becomes a foreign concept, as transient as a wayward traveller stopping for just a brief moment at my doorstep before moving along its way.

Pain too is but a transient visitor.

Love, on the other hand, is eternal.

This is my core—the bedrock of my beliefs.

Guiding me, a steadfast North Star.

For love endures, now and forevermore.

Namaste,

The truth about you and me.

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Early morning. Arrived at the airport in lots of time to clear security, procure my morning elixir (oatmilk latte) and settle in at the gate to await boarding of my flight to Vancouver.

Life feels good on mornings like this. Even when I do get up at 4am!

Yesterday,after I cleared out a bunch of ToDos in my Inbox, I spent the evening baking Choco Chip cookies for C.C. to munch on while I’m away as well as cooked up a batch of tomato feta pasta, did laundry, walked along the river with Beaumont, packed and had a long, delightful and inspiring phone call with a woman I met for the first time last night on Zoom.

She got my name from a friend. She’s writing a book about her amazing journey and was feeling stuck.

In her despair, she did what can be so hard and yet is so important to do when we’re feeling lost, or stuck, or simply overwhelmed. She reached out for help.

It’s hard because often, the voices in our head are feeding us a steady stream of the litany of our failures, reinforcing with each virulent diatribe why we’re losers, failures and a host of other non-supportive, unkind falsehoods. Yet, as we follow their dark trail, it’s easy to become trapped in their insistence that only they know the truth about us. Only they can keep us safe from everyone else seeing that truth.

As I told this amazing woman last night, They’re just voices. They aren’t the truth. The truth is that woman who did all those amazing things… she’s not lost. She’s always there. Always with you.

It’s time to turn away from the darkness.

In working with this woman I was reminded of the imperative of self-care. Of cutting the threads of those voices, early in their game, before they take hold.

I’ve been in her place. I’ve cried and cried and cried, believing that I was worthless. I was a failure. I was… good for nothing and that the world would be better off without me in it.

For me, those vicious thoughts lead me down that dark path to that place where I stood by a river desperately wishing I could cut gravity’s hold on my body and let it sink into the murky depths of the waters sliding past.

I was not powerful enough to unhook gravity. At the time, it felt like another failure. Another piece of evidence cementing my lack of worth.

I am grateful I am not powerful enough to unhook gravity.

I am grateful I am not powerful enough to create monsters, or ‘bad men’ or hurricanes or tidal waves or any kind of storm.

What I am is powerful enough to weather storms. To prepare myself for choppy waters. To build a boat. To batten down the hatches, set my sails and head for safe harbour when life’s forces feel stronger than my capacity to stand tall and steady in the waves crashing all around.

We don’t have to brace ourselves for every storm.

We don’t have to sail directly into uncharted waters or know every step of the path before us.

Believe the path will appear and it will. Trust the future will arrive in its own time, and it will. Hold onto Love and you will always be safe.

And know, and always hold onto the truth of who you are – no matter the times. No matter the weather. No matter how dark the skies. You and I and every human on this planet are magnificent beings of light, promise and possibility. We are the divine expression of love in aciton. We are Love, loving, loved and loveable.

And we all deserve joy, happiness, comfort when we’re down and support when we’re feeling lost on our journey.

None of us have the power to see into the future. What we do have is the power to reach out for help when wecan’t see the path before us because we’ve lost sight of the light within.

I am grateful for those who walk with me, and walked with me, when I felt lost and alone. I am grateful for their light on my path.

In gratitude, I share my light with others so together, we can all light up the world.

Namaste

I Don’t Understand

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Every morning, or at least on those mornings when I log onto my blog, WordPress poses a question as a thought-starter.

Normally, I breeze over the question as I usually have a general sense of what I want to write about when I sit down. But, this morning, the question captured my attention. “What’s something most people don’t understand?”

I read through some of the answers and was fascinated by how differing all the opinions were.

  • other people
  • themselves
  • how important it is to take care of yourself
  • narcissists
  • living with chronic pain
  • that we are all gods
  • how to make money
  • how to be present
  • and the list goes on…

I don’t know what most people don’t understand – for me, there are a lot of things I don’t understand…

I don’t understand how we can continue to kill and maim and hurt one another. I don’t understand how we can be so cruel to animals. How we can abuse children. How we can say, I love you, and then destroy that love through so many different ways.

I don’t understand how the earth keeps spinning in its orbit and how the moon appears every night even when we keep doing things to block the light and turn our world upside down..

I don’t understand (at least not completely) how my heart skips a beat when I see the faces of my grandchildren or hear their voices, or how my heart can keep expanding to love my family more and more.

I don’t understand how love’s limitless presence can lift some people up and scare others into staying down.

And I don’t understand how much there is to understand, about the darkness and the light, the ups and the downs, the ins and the outs, the sensical and non-sensical, the beautiful and the ugly, the mystery and the horrors of life on this one planet we call our home. This one planet that is the foundation and the source of everything. The breath we take. The food we eat. The gravity that holds us in place. The far horizons that call us to dream.

There is so much mystery, wonder and awe in this world. I do not understand.why we keep trying to destroy it and one another.

And then, I come full circle. Life isn’t about what I don’t understand. It’s about understanding that my role in it is to understand how vital, connected and beautiful my role is and to share the beauty and the light of me so that however I play out this life, it creates better, does no harm, brings joy and deepens Love always and in all ways.

What about you? Where does what you don’t you understand lead you?

What is your superpower?

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What is your superpower? he asked.

To be loving, she replied.

He laughed. That’s not a superpower. And he went on to give her a lecture on the multitudinous and mighty superpowers available for her to choose.

Finished, he asked again, So tell me now, what is your superpower?

And she smiled and replied, To be loving.

Angry that she had chosen so unwisely, again, his body grew ten times in size. Massive muscles rippled along his shoulders, His biceps bulged. He raised one gigantic fist high above his head and brought it down to the ground in one thundering blow. The earth shook. The skies darkened. His face turned red. His eyes bulged and his voice roared, “That is not a superpower!”

Calmly, she looked up at him towering over her, his whole body a mass of angry quivering muscle. Her green eyes were wide-open, clear and calm as a high mountain lake. “Love is the most powerful force on earth,” she softly replied. “It cannot be forced to become something else. It cannot be stopped through forces of hatred. Love is the most indomitable force on earth. It does not cower before might, nor dim itself in the face of danger. It is and always will be itself. No matter where I go, where I stand, or what I do, Love is with me, around me, surrounding and filling me with its power to transform darkness into light, anger into joy, hate into acceptance, and hurt into forgiveness. Love is my superpower.”

“I do not believe you”, he roared. “Nothing and no one can make me see the light nor transform my anger. Nothing can make me love you”.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around one of his mighty legs and held him gently in her loving embrace.

“You don’t have to believe me, nor love me,” she replied. “Love is strong enough to hold your disbelief. It is powerful enough to embrace us both in all the darkness and light of our human condition and never stop cultivating and magnifying the beauty of who we are when we stop fighting and allow love to be the force we empower to change the world.”

He had never met anyone who hugged him when he stormed. He’d never had his angry words calmed by soothing words. And though he did not believe it was possible for Love to change the world, he could not resist the warmth of her embrace and slowly calmed down enough to return to his human form.

“I do not like your superpower,” he said. “It makes me feel weak.”

She smiled and gently took his hands in hers. “You are not weak in the face of Love,” she said. “You are stronger than your wildest imaginings.”

And slowly, day-by-day, gently without force, she taught him the power of Love.