DON'T FORGET ABOUT LOVE

As we set our goals and start our plans for 2017, perhaps there is one thing we should focus on now more than ever. Love!

I know I seem to have lost the focus on this with some people. I realize that for the past year or so I unfriended and dismissed a lot of people because of what I saw as their extreme views. Not only the ones who's beliefs didn't match mine, but the extremes from both sides. I did it not because I don't think other's viewpoints are important, I did it because I didn't want to expose myself to the negativity that their comments, posts, or messages brought out in me. It was really more about me and my peace, than it was about them. It was a bit selfish.

With the start of a New Year, I think it's time to turn the page. It's time to open my mind back up and respect the opinions of others, as long as they respect mine. We have to remember, deep down most people are good. They only want what's best for their lives. That point always seems to get lost in the noise of disagreement. They simply believe their choice will bring them what they need. When living in a divided world, the noise and extreme rhetoric blinds us to the reality of people's beliefs. Everyone just wants to be happy!

Now that the election year is over, we have to remember what's important. Every day we vote for how we want to live our lives by choosing who we surround ourselves with. We do it by the way we speak, by the way we listen, and by the way we act around others. At the start of the New Year I have decided that I want my life to be about creating a space to promote the good in others. I want to be the person who holds a place for everyone I know to be the best that they can be. I want them to know I am here to listen and to trust, I am here to support them and above all else to offer LOVE.

Isn't it time we do what we are meant to do? We are commanded to love one another above all else. As we move in to this New Year, why don't we focus on kindness and forgiveness, empathy and compassion, treat everyone with dignity and respect, and above all else LOVE one another.

​Don't Forget About LOVE. Let ALL you do be done in LOVE.

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