LETTERS FROM LOVE — With Special Guest Martha Beck!

Dearest Family! 

Welcome to Letters from Love! How was everybody’s week? How did it feel, writing to yourself from Unconditional Love? And how does it feel, reading the letters that people are posting? I encourage you not only to read each other’s letters, but to reach out to one another if you feel moved by something someone has shared — as I keep finding myself doing. 

This work of learning how to be friendly to ourselves is so brave, so beautiful to behold.

Here is my message for the week — and my Letter from Love:

Dear Love: What would you have me know today?

My tiny acorn, my love, my child,

Sit with me a moment, and put down your worries, your desperate strategies, your doubts and fears. You will never know lasting peace as long as you need everyone in the world to be happy with you at the same time. It cannot be accomplished, tiny angel, no matter how much you try — and oh, how you try! But you simply cannot do it, my love. You simply cannot keep everybody pleased. You couldn’t do it in childhood, and you cannot do it now as a grown woman. Trying to keep everybody pleased with you makes you tired and worn down and discouraged, as would any job that is innately impossible. So stop.

Why would we send you to the earth to do impossible jobs? Silly little weary bumblebee, let that hard work go. Allow me to be the one who unceasingly loves and approves of you, so that you don’t need to seek it from others. This will be a relief to both you and them. If you let me love you, if you really sink down into this love, you can allow everyone else to come and go without drama, without clinging, without fear. And people will always come and go from your life, little one — that is the natural way of things. Nobody is meant to stay forever. Nobody is meant to stay in one place, or even in one mindset, forever. Let other people have their journeys. Let other people have their feelings, let other people have their own experiences. There is no higher respect you could offer to another human being than to allow them to hold their own opinions — even about you. Allow it. Surrender and allow it, and carry on with your own journey.

All is well, dearest one. All is going to plan. Relax your shoulders now. Relax your heart. Listen to me speaking to you from the very center of yourself, from the very center of Love itself. You know who you belong to, and that is all that matters. You belong to me, little one. You are made of love, and you are made of me. That is settled law. Know this truth, and you will know peace.  Now shut this book and sit with me for a moment in the stillness. Have a gentle day. Stay with me. I love you.

This week’s prompt

I loved reading the endearments you used for yourself, from Unconditional Love! It is human nature to create sweet nicknames for people and animals we love but so rare that we apply them to ourselves. So I was delighted that you referred to yourselves as my little pebble, my pal, my sweetest baby birdie, little piglet (!), my little pot sticker, honey, pookie, my little humbug, my Valkyrie, sweet pea, my little boy, my anxious little squirrel . . .

If you have trouble downloading your Letter From Love (and even if you’ve already got the hang of it!), I suggest you make a list of endearments for yourself as you get ready to write your next letter. And have fun with your endearments — try to be truly open without fear or embarrassment. In other words, let your guard down, my anxious little squirrels. Can’t wait to read your letters this week!