Lead with Love

Lead with Love November 19, 2015

The whole week’s been a rather downward spiral, starting with the horrible attacks in Paris and Beirut. The continued violence in Syria, Iraq, Myanmar and so many places around the world. The evil known as Daesh, or ISIS. And the ensuing, predictable yet scary, Islamophobia that has followed. All on top of a huge backlash against Syrian refugees. But that’s another post.

But life keeps on moving, and the things we commit to — our families, jobs, children, activities, volunteer work and passions — must be continued. One can’t be paralyzed by what is happening. At least I can’t be. There is too much at stake in my own personal sphere to just shut down. We’ve had a cold/fever running through our home the past several weeks, and D was the last of the family to get it.

So between working and anguishing, I’ve been focused on D, trying to figure out his symptoms, treat him effectively and give him every possible method of communicating what he is feeling/wanting/not wanting to me. It’s not easy work, this mothering. No one ever said it would be. A few days ago, when I was dropping D off at school, I saw a fellow mom dropping off her daughter, and it compelled me to write this:

I run into many of the same parents dropping off their kiddos at the time I drop off D at school. Sometimes we exchange pleasantries, sometimes just a smile. We see things in each other, in each other’s children that can often be too raw in intimacy – intimacy between people who don’t know each other, yet in other ways know everything about each other.

It’s painful, this love. Its worthwhile.

We lead with love. It’s the only way we know how. It’s the only way we should lead. Its not easy, it’s painful, it’s wonderful, it’s draining, it’s uplifting. It’s the first thing I thought when I saw this video making the rounds, about a special education teacher in Florida who starts off each day in his classroom by complimenting and and positively reinforcing his students. Check out the video:

That’s all I have for you today folks. Lead with love.

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