March 14th, 2026

Loving Yourself into Wholeness

“I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years washing away my pain, the same way carvings on stone are worn down by water.”

Amy Ruth Tan (American Author; February 19th, 1952 ~ )

“Life batters us whether we are rich or poor, public or private. The wound we suffer may be an open cut or a slow, silent hemorrhage of the soul. On the outside we may look as if we’ve got our act together, but each of us encounters those dark stormy days when we feel very small, very fragile, and very frightened, as if we might shatter into a thousand pieces and break into heartrending sobs at something as simple as ‘How are you?'”

“When this happens we have to be kind to ourselves, not beat ourselves up. Leave that to the rest of the world. Our feelings are valid, our fears very real, even though they are probably not based on reality. Always remember that the best description of fear is ‘false evidence appearing real.'”

“When these occasions occur in your life, recall that your first duty is to love yourself into Wholeness. How to do this? By pampering yourself with simple pleasures and small indulgences. By treating yourself like the baby you are right now.”

“You don’t have to do everything and be everything for everyone else all the time. If you think you can’t possibly do one more thing without screaming or crying, you.re probably right. Start by saying, ‘no, I’m sorry. I’ve got a prior commitment.'”

“For, of course, you do. Today you need to be there for yourself. Remember, we did not lose ourselves all at once. But we recover our authentic selves one kind gesture at a time.

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-14-22)

“I’ve been blue lately. Missing my kids. Trying to understand why getting a job has been such a nightmare. I just need a break. I need to be kind to myself.” (Heather Houston 3-14-22)

“‘No, I’m sorry, I’ve got a prior commitment’ Is harder to say sometimes. However, learning to put yourself first is how we heal ourselves. This is one of the hardest lessons I have embarked on learning and yet I know it true to my own happiness.” (Heather Houston 3-14-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 80-81 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.