tomorrow

♥️

Loving you means I will always be trying to get to the root of any issues, 

not so I can judge you, I promise you that.  

But so I can understand you better, 

so I can love you better. 

Loving you means I will remain curious about your past, present, and future ... 

your goals, dreams, and desires; 

I will become a student of your life, not to possess you or suffocate you

but so I can know how to better pray for you. 

It is so I can learn what your needs are

and know what guidance to ask the Universe for, 

so that I can support you in the ways that matter to you.  

Loving you means I will always ask you questions, 

and it is not nosiness or overbearingness in my heart, 

it is because I’m interested in your experiences, feelings, 

your mental, emotional, and spiritual health.  

I might not always tell you that I’m also regularly asking God to bless you 

and asking how I can bless you, each and every day, 

and what I can do,

how I can serve you love,

to help you fulfill your purpose.   

Loving you means I will continually seek our divine connection, 

not to control you or manage you, 

but to make sure you never feel alone, 

lost, 

unimportant, 

undervalued, 

or unloved.   

It means I will not accept a loss of connection 

because you are worth everything 

and there is nothing worth losing you over.  

Loving you means it is my life’s work to love you well, 

and that it is safe to know one another as no one else does, 

so no matter what happens in life, we never have to be 

afraid of our fears, 

lonely in our alone times, 

or forgetful or neglectful of our blessings. 

Loving you is seeing you, 

and praying you will see yourself and love yourself 

as the Spirit and I see you and love you. 

It is believing in you and every ounce of your potential. 

It is knowing that the parts of you which you call flaws

are actually the beauty marks of your soul. 

It is wanting nothing more

than to love you more

tomorrow.  

without consequence

♥️

people are walking around with smiles they’ve put on while wound full and scarred, taking care of life while nervous and unsure. 

fragile. 

scared. 

hurt. 

sometimes selfish. 

and often armed with a multitude of strategies to protect themselves from pain or the perception of it. 

people of all cultures, all faiths, all ages, all races. even those who have it or keep it together and are doing well ...it’s part of our humanness and part of our journey regardless of our outlook and skill set, regardless of our belief systems and spiritual life, regardless of our mental health and our energy. we all have stories that have built us and at times broken us, and we all have the desire to connect, to belong, and to be cared about. 

i know people look at each other and miss who they’re looking at because they aren’t seeing who they’re looking at, they are seeing the outside and all the externals of who they’re looking at. 

i also know that Love looks at people and sees their insides.  Love sees past the curtains, barricades, and facades. Love sees inside and recognizes all the ways a heart beats and says “you are worthy.”

i know Love is healing, certain, constant, and strong. 

i know Love is assurance. 

pure. 

selfless. 

graceful. 

faithful. 

strength through seasons that threaten our joy. 

unshakable through storms that hurl us into unwelcomed chaos. 

i know Love protects us without consequence through shame, fear, or attack. 

and celebrates not as much all that we do, but all that we are. 

Love seeks to love, not to be loved, 

to console, not to be consoled, 

to understand, not to be understood. 

Love is not a seeker of attention or gain. 

Love loves 

without an agenda. 

Love knows

no bounds. 

never and always

♥️

Loving you means I never look down on you no matter how far or in which direction you fall. 

It means I give and learn, all that I can, to lift you. 

It means even though I look up to you I know I am never less than, and because when I have fallen you are holding my hand to bring me back up. 

It means I am never judging you, shaming you, deserting you or betraying you. 

It means I have your back. 

It means our friendship carries our relationship when life gets in the way. 

It means I support you. 

It means I respect you. 

It means I enjoy you. 

It means I believe in you, I stand by you, I protect you, I value you. 

It means I am always moving towards you, never away from you. 

It means I am grateful for your life and for your willingness to share it with me. 

It means our sacred connection is more important than any difference, challenge, or conflict. 

It means I know we are all human, we all have victories and we all make mistakes, and there is no heart I’d rather be beside through all of them

than yours.

Never above you. 

Never below you. 

Always beside you. 

anywhere

i've seen you together
i see you in pieces 
i know your whole self 
i know when you're broken
i know when you're you
i know when you're not you
i know you at peace
i know when you're troubled
struggling
and fighting against yourself
i know when you're scared
when you're courageous
when you're trying to love the best that you can
against the odds
against the uncertainty
against your self imposed or conditioned belief of unworthiness
(inaccurate i know)
(but real for you i also know)
so rest your wet salty face in my hands
and let your fears escape
hot on my fingers and deep in my skin
and let me look into you
because the thing is,
in pieces you are still whole to me
i love you anyway
either way
all the ways
every way
and i'm not going anywhere
other than anywhere
you go
with me ...

i am

when something is killing your spirit

and you don't know how your legs will move you

because you feel so weak and it's as if you are standing by

watching it happen

and your attempts to stop it feel like when you're in a dream

the kind where you try to yell but your voice won't come out

and you need someone to wake you up

show you the truth

the reality

that it isn't dying underneath your smile

and behind your skin and bones

that you are safer than you think

that you aren't losing your soul

i am

where you are

i am

holding you from the inside out

i am

breathing

for you

#moments

♥

when time stands still

and your eyes blink in slow motion

and your breath floats by my face

and our world is totally quiet

and you can hear my heart

and that it beats for you

i will remind you ...

when the things going on around you
cause you to question
your path
i will remind you
to walk where love walks
to live where love lives
to speak as love speaks
to accept no substitutes
and to know
you are worth keeping 

i will not reject you or your truth
i will not judge you or your beliefs
i will not refuse to grow with you
when you grow in different directions 

i will
honor your voice
i will
encourage your courage
i will
pick up your strength
and lay it across you piece by piece
like a patchwork quilt,
when it slides off your shoulders
and crashes silently to the ground behind your footstep

when the things going on around you
cause you to question
your heart
i will remind you
my heart
looks like
your heart
and i will not
let it
beat
alone

inside out

i wish there were an inside out day. 

a day where we all show up inside out,

and instead of seeing one another's outsides 

we see everybody's insides.

instead of seeing how much work people are doing on their appearance, 

we see how much work they are doing on their soul. 

instead of seeing what we perceive as physically beautiful,

we see what is spiritually pure. 

instead of name brands and fashion trends that people are wearing,

we see callings that people are wearing 

... and and truths that are wearing people out.
instead of what kind of cars people are driving,

we see what kind of hurts are driving people away from love. 

instead of seeing what is safe, 

we see what is real. 

what society and cultures deem beautiful 

is different in every society and culture ...

what is pure and good, sacred and true,

is the same

in every society 

and culture.

it needs no demarcation.

love is the movement,

from the inside out.

the breath of you

my heart unsettled 

the earth dangerously uneven underfoot 

a rushing in my chest

i am unbalanced 

and cannot be settled 

but by 

the breath of you

my love letter to you,

i know i often tell you that i love you. 

i probably say it way too often. 

you probably know i love you, 

and this letter isn't to convince you or find some other clever way of telling you what you already know.

i just don't think i tell you often enough how much it means to me

that you are honest: 

even when the truth is difficult to hear, your honesty draws me closer to you and makes me admire you even more than i already do.

that you are brave: 

your courage washes over me and bathes me with a renewed trust and faith in you, when it is needed, and even when it isn't needed. not because i think you will never falter, but because your bravery continuously reminds me that even when you do, you are not afraid to stand in the pieces and know that, together, we will put them back … together.  

that you are strong: 

your strength to do both difficult things and every day simple things makes me feel safe and taken care of. knowing i can ask you for help, and that even if i don't ask you will step in and take care of whatever needs to be done, makes me want to be held by both your strong convictions and your strong arms.  you are a visionary. you are a do-er.  

that you are passionate and faith-full:

your passion and your passion for your faith are remarkable and endearing, and remind me of why you are the kind of person that you are. you allow your faith to lead you and in turn you lead others, you lead me, and you lead us. you inspire people.  you give more than you ever consider getting, and you believe in others and in all that is good. 

that you are trustworthy:

knowing i can trust you is like having a blanket of peace that i can wrap around me at any time in any place. i feel protected and able to love you with every part of me, more each day than the day before.  you are the friend i think of and turn to first and last, in-between, and always.

that you are loving:

you are kind.   you are respectful.  you are compassionate.  you have manners.  you are encouraging.  you support me even when my ideas create awkward silence and then laughter or sometimes tears.  you put others before yourself.  you are nice.  not just to me, but to everyone.  you treat others well even when they treat you poorly.  you are positive.  you are optimistic.  you are a believer.   

that you are not perfect:

i love this so much about you, and i know these things i've listed don't always come easily or without awareness or work. i love loving you as you grow and learn and as we grow and learn together. 

that you are a great example:

for my children.

these things are continuous and these things are just a few reasons why i fall in love with you over and over again, every day, sometimes many times in one 24 hour period. 

when i tell you that i love you, i am speaking these and many other things that will never fit into three little words ... eight little letters … 

i am speaking the very breath of my life, 

the gratitude, 

and the faith in which we walk by, 

and only therefore 

do we see. 

i love you …

♥

be who you are

some people work so hard at not being who they are.

and many of us have had times in our lives when we sacrificed who we were for what we thought we needed to be.

my son wrote this in his gratitude journal when he was 8 years old. 
i have printed it and hung it by the bathroom mirror as a reminder for us each morning and each night.

i appreciate the misspelling. it's who he was when he was 8.

the truth is it's about all the things that make us who we are. 

it's not about perceptions, assumptions, or facades. 

it's not about compromising who we are for the sake of anyone else. 

experiences with people who do not know who we really are ... are not true experiences for either party.

every day that you live falsely is a day you sacrifice yourself and your freedom to give, have, feel, love, and be loved, as only you can.

be you.
be love.
be happy.

where you are not

One day you wake up and there you are.

It doesn't happen overnight
when you get lost
in your own home

Among the floors you know so well
that your feet can walk them 
in the pitch dark
to get that single glass
of quiet water
in the middle
of the long still night
that just won't end

Inside the walls that keep you sheltered
and hold you in
from everything
and everywhere
that you seek

Underneath the sounds
of every bruise
blow
and breaking of your spirit
that have stolen your peace
shifted the soil
and changed the terrain
of your soul

Behind the windows you have looked through
for so long
that you no longer see the outside,
only your reflection
reminding you
of where you are

and where
you are not.

once upon a time ...

once upon a time each one of us was a child
with big sparkling eyes
an innocent and trusting heart
hopeful to please
and a desire to be loved.
learning our world through the world of those around us.

how we got from there to here was largely formed by the way we perceived ourselves to be valued in the eyes
and hearts
and lives
of others.

one day, each child before us will be an adult
and how they get from here to there ... will be the same.

a breakdown in this journey can change everything
and it can happen in an instant.

maybe it has happened to you, maybe you have witnessed it happening, or maybe you have been the speaker, without even knowing it.

failing to consider the heart of a child when we speak to them can be the fastest way to cause huge damage with even the tiniest of words.

but we can remember their innocence.
respect their vulnerability.
and honor their beautiful souls.
all it takes is an awareness
and the effort to be conscious instead of careless.

let us all choose to consciously build our children up, not carelessly tear them down.


"The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice."  -Peggy O'Mara

go where the love is

i believe in living our lives with people
who make it not only possible
but easy
to become the whole of who we are,
in humanity, in spirit, and in love. 

i believe if there are people
who are preventing us from being free and genuine,
in the face of the world,
in living the life we were given,
then we should distance ourselves from those people. 

i know that there is growth for us
in even the negative relationships and encounters that we have.  

and i also know 
that the ones who lift us higher
and free our souls
are the ones
we belong with. 

you matter. yes, you ...

you matter. 
your voice matters. 
and you deserve, as much as anyone else on the planet, to use your voice. 
it is okay to stand up for your heart with dignity and grace.

"Make a pledge to yourself right now, to declare that you are worth your time and energy."  -Deborah Day

click below to read my article on the magic of YOU:

you matter.  yes, you ...

♥

Visit LightWorkers World:  Resources to create positive change and Self empowerment

the reclaiming of my heart

i found this awesome organization called "women for one" ... it is a global community of women encouraging authenticity and inspiration.  it is easy to get lost in all the goodness they offer and in discovering new wonderful souls to know and learn from!

it is an honor for me to be published on their website ...

click below to join the movement and to read about my defining moment of reclaiming my heart.
it was the first step of many ... 
but every. 
step. 
counts.

click here:
The Reclaiming of My Heart By: Jacqueline O’Leary Covert

♥

 visit  women for one today
 for inspiration and empowerment!  
share the love 
and watch women change the world!

♥

why do i want to hold your hand when i'm mad?

 ♥

last week while waiting for a friend, i witnessed a couple, clearly in a close relationship, and clearly in a moment of conflict.  i wasn't trying to eavesdrop, it was just very clear that they were both very upset.  i have always been interested in and fascinated by the dynamics between people, and i couldn't help but feel their heavy hearts.

 i guess maybe because i am a feeler and very touchy, i kept wanting one of them, either one, to reach for the other.  just to hold hands or lean in.

and then, as if by osmosis, i watched the girl reach for the boy's hand ... and they held hands for a brief moment.

then she asked, "are you still mad?"
he replied, "yes."

and then i watched, sadly, as the girl let go of his hand.

after a few minutes of this heaviness in the air, i heard him ask, "why did you let go?"
she replied, "well usually when someone is mad at someone, the last thing they want to do is hold that person's hand."
he said very quietly, "i disagree,"
and then they sat in silence for a while before getting up and walking away.  i watched them walk away together, but still not touching, and still in silence.

as they went on with their day, i went on to think about this ... day after day.

i thought about how i wanted them to touch each other.  i wondered why that mattered to me, and what it meant about my perspective or my feelings towards conflict in a relationship.

i thought about what the girl said when she let go of his hand.  i wondered what my own feelings and thoughts were about that very statement of hers.

i wondered if they were okay and i wished them well.
   i also decided that there are many reasons why i would choose to be a hand holder, even during times of conflict.  here are my thoughts. what are yours?

♥

 ♥

words to awaken your heart ... and nourish your soul

while recently hanging out on the the website for Women For One, i discovered this awesome little book.  it is written by Jeff Brown, and it is called Ascending With Both Feet on the Ground.

every time i open it, i want to share at least some of the words, if not all.

it's a small book, with short passages on each page, but i cannot bring myself to read the whole thing from front to back because i don't want it to be over.

so i force myself to only read a few pages at a time.  putting it down.  picking it back up again.  putting it down.  picking it up.

luckily it is the kind of food for your soul, the kind that even if you re-read a page, it's either just as awesome as the first time you read it, or you might even read it or understand it in a different way, depending on what is going on that day, or possibly what you may have experienced or learned since the last time you read it.

this desire i have to share this book is too overwhelming to contain, so i have decided to share a little something from its glorious pages, every day, here on my blog.  

here is the start, and i will post a new one each day to the side bar on the right -->

in the future, feel free to click on the daily quote for more bites.  i promise they will be just as good as when they were posted.   -------->

please join me each day for a new little morsel ... some snack size awesomeness for your soul.

share the awesomeness and join jeff's movement "love it forward" ♥

there are little footprints similar to these, throughout the book. i thought it was fitting that i use this photo of my son's feet, which was taken one summer day after he had finished jumping and playing in a rain puddle ♥

love-full

♥

pride concerns the self. 

love concerns the other. 

no words

i've been in a little bit of a daze, thinking about someone i love.  someone whose heart is broken.  not just broken like in two.  but broken into a thousand tiny pieces.  the kind where you don't know how to hold yourself together, you can't sleep, you have no appetite, and you just really don't know how you're getting from moment to moment.  it's that kind of broken when tears are sitting in front of your eyeballs and it is some miracle that they aren't racing down your face when they aren't.

it's that kind of broken when your thoughts come and go in no order.  when you feel scattered and lost and scared and nothing seems real.  when you pray that you are in a nightmare, and that when you wake up it will all be over.  when you see and hear other people laughing and carrying on around you, but you don't know how they are doing it.  and whatever they are laughing about or smiling about just can't possibly be that important.  because your world is different.  because your world has changed. and it just doesn't seem right that the rest of the world is going on as if nothing has happened.  even the sun shining seems ... wrong.

the kind of broken you feel when someone you love is suddenly and unexpectedly no longer on this earth.

it is scary to think about ... our mortality.

it is scary to think about ... our lack of certainty.

there is no promise that any one of us will be here tomorrow.  i know this.  you know this.  we all know this.  yet we live as if there is some promise of the future.

when someone leaves our life, we recognize this truth and we sometimes talk about the fact that we have no guarantees and that we need to live in the now.  waste no time.  seize the day.

i am lost in between both of these feelings.  the hurt, the paralysis of knowing someone i love is hurting in this way ...  and the gentle reminder that life is fragile.

i always try to find the message ... the gift in any struggle.  sometimes i can't feel one without the other.  sometimes i can't feel either one at all.

this isn't the first time i've written about the loss of another person's life.  but just as each person's life is unique, so is each one's effect on the world when they go.

i know what it's like to sit in silence and awe, at a traffic light, and look around and not understand how the world is turning and how no one knows that someone i love is gone.  watching people go through drive-thrus and order burgers and somehow even that doesn't seem right.  like how can things just go on the same when nothing is the same?  shouldn't there be some kind of acknowledgement by the world?  it doesn't seem right or even possible.

i know what it's like to hold a family member who has lost her child and cannot talk, swallow, or barely breathe.

i know what it's like to hold my friend who has lost her husband, and lie in bed with her, without speaking, for weeks.

i know what it's like to ache for someone else's ache.  to hurt and cry along with and for another heart that is floundering.

i just still don't know the words to say.
there never seem to be any words that are the right ones.
there never seem to be any words that help.
at times like this,
there never seem to be any words
at all.