Teach Me How I Can Love You

 Teach Me How I Can Love You

I'm consistently late to the party when it comes to music. I discovered Amos Lee's Dreamland a couple of months ago, a whole year after its release.

I admit, I've been listening to it on repeat.

There's a song on the album, Hold You, that I catch myself singing at random times, almost daily.

Actually, I'm mostly singing one particular line:

"I want you to teach me how I can love you."

At first listen, this song is about nurturing and loving another person.

Recently, I discovered that when I sing it, I'm not singing to or for another person. Instead, I'm singing to me.

As if the words are "I want me to teach me how I can love me."

Loving yourself. It's not always that simple, is it?

Last week, I wrote that everything, and yet nothing, has changed in my world.

This week, I want to tell you about the most recent change.

In January, I completed a two-year Spiritual Direction certification with The Haden Institute (in three weeks, I'll complete an equally intense certification in Focusing; but that's for next week).

It was, without exception, the best gift I've ever given myself.

The check-sheet for earning that certification was long, and while I'm proud of putting checks beside each and every requirement, my time there included so much more that can't be measured by checkmarks.

When someone begins working with a Spiritual Director, they're embarking on a spiritual journey . . . a pilgrimage of sorts.

To companion someone well, a Spiritual Director must first make their own pilgrimage. They must turn inward and dance with their own demons. They must visit old wounds, challenge old and outdated stories, and ask hard questions. Sometimes, they must even question their beliefs. They must embrace uncertainty; the uncertainty of who they are and of where they're going. And they must find their path forward from there.

Accepting the invitation to embark on my own spiritual quest is what made my time at Haden a gift rather than a pursuit. It's what brought the process to life and gave it meaning (my cohort also had a huge impact on my time there).

"I want you to teach me how I can love you."

I want me to teach me how I can love me.

I've spent the past two years learning how to love myself better.

It's not always simple and I haven't aced it, but I'm a hell of a lot better at it than I've ever been before.

My wish for you this week, is that you begin to teach you how to love you. Maybe it's leaving work early to take a walk. Maybe it's showing yourself grace and kindness. Maybe it's calling a friend for a long-overdue chat. I invite you to make it a priority to love on yourself this week. You're worth it!

That's me wrapped in my Cloak of Truths, my final project for the Spiritual Direction certification program at The Haden Institute and my Focusing Certification through The International Focusing Institute.