History provides abundant examples of . . . women whose greatest gift was in redeeming, inspiring, liberating,
and nurturing the gifts of others. —Sonya Rudikoff—
Part of our calling as members of the human community is to unconditionally love and support the people emotionally close to us.
We have been drawn together for purposes wonderful but seldom readily apparent. We need one another’s gifts, compassion, and inspiration in order to contribute our individual parts to the whole.Not only do we need to nurture and to inspire others, but also our personal development, emotionally and spiritually, demands that we honor ourselves in like fashion. Self-love, full self-acceptance is necessary before we can give
anything of lasting value to someone else. Selflessly must we give to others if, indeed, our love and support are meant to serve, and giving anything selflessly is evidence of healthy self-love. Selfless love liberates the giver and the recipient. Giving selflessly reveals our personal contentment, and it means we are free to nurture our own gifts. It’s good and right that I should encourage someone else today. I will pay the same respect to myself, too.