This week’s issue is several hours late and features an excerpt from Notes to My Unborn—a book project I started about 8 years ago.

Notes to My Unborn began with a simple idea—compile all the lessons I’ve learned into an easy-to-digest collection of letters to my future children. I stopped working on it back in 2020, but recently decided to start working on it again.

So in lieu of more recent musings, enjoy something I wrote years ago for my future offspring…

This week’s big idea:

Empathy and compassion – for ourself and for others

Empathy can be difficult to practice. But I have found that the harder you work at it the easier it becomes. Every human being you encounter is on a journey rife with challenges and innumerable hardships. Many don’t know how to handle these challenges properly, mostly because they are not fortunate enough to have someone to provide them with guidance (in this you are immensely blessed pumpkin, and I pray that is not lost on you) and so they often act out in ways others believe to be wrong.

But right and wrong are never as simple as black and white. Circumstances alter cases. There will be those who would have you believe otherwise but life is seldom ever black and white. Every human being—you and I included—brings to their choices a unique set of experiences that shape their thoughts and actions. If you can always remember that you will be a little less likely to pass judgement and a little more likely to practice compassion.

It’s never easy to show compassion, especially to those who hurt us. It will be nearly impossible to demonstrate compassion to someone you believe is behaving like a complete ass toward you, but I say nearly because it will still be possible. Just more difficult. When someone tests our patience and threatens to stir our anger, that is when they are most in need of our compassion—in the moments when they least deserve it. Crazy, I know, that you must be nice to people who don’t deserve it.

But think about it my love, where is the challenge in only being nice to those who make it easy? Where is the growth? Remember a fulfilled life is one where we extend ourselves beyond our natural limits – where we push ourselves to do and be more. So I know you’re probably rolling your eyes at your crazy mother but between the eye rolls and sighs I hope you understand what I am saying. I hope you get it. That if you can do that – show compassion to the undeserving – then you (and they too) will be better for it.

And that is reason enough.

On the matter of compassion, I must also mention one thing that it took me years to learn (yes, your mom was not born smart and all knowing. Enough with the sarcastic gasping). To this day I still struggle with being compassionate towards myself and I pray this is something you will not struggle with the way I did.

You deserve your compassion and understanding as much as—if not more than—the other humans you meet on your journey. Do you hear me? You deserve it. I want you to read this next sentence aloud, even if you’re in public and afraid of people staring. Read it for your dear mother. “I deserve my compassion and understanding as much as any other human being I encounter. I must be patient and compassionate with myself.” Remember that, always. Never forget it.

It may be hard at first, because we judge ourselves more harshly than we judge others. But thankfully, it’s a behavior we can unlearn. I trust I have done enough to cultivate that in you. If not, I guess I still have some work to do.

Love,
Mom

Fast Five

📚 Book(s) I’m reading:

Non-Fiction: ‘The Circle: How the Power of a Single Wish Can Change Your Life’ by Laura Day

Still making my way through this one slowly and meditating on it.

💭 Quote/Idea I’m thinking about:

“All we have is NOW” – As we edge toward the end of 2024 I’m tempted to dive into planning and goal setting mode for 2025. This idea is a reminder to dwell in the present and not obsess so much over the future.

🎶 Song(s) I have on repeat:

‘To Summer, From Cole’ – Summer Walker & J. Cole

🧶 Thing(s) I’m making/trying:

I finished the fuchsia scarf! (I’ll share pics next week).

🙌🏾 Thing I’m grateful for from the past week:

Being able to spend time with my cousins and the munchkins in Florida. Life is good and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to spend this time with them.

Until next Sunday!

Love and light,
Anna