Approval

However nice the approval of others may seem, I am learning, it is not the most essential thing in the world. For a couple of weeks now, I've been thinking about the wisdom of a quote by John Lydgate. He said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

I've found for me, this lesson is learned through experience and pain. For undoubtedly, disappointment, discouragement, and strained relationships follow in the wake of disapproval. 

I'm learning the most important person I need approval from is me. So, I'd like to modify the above pictured quote to reflect my heart:

"I am who I am. Your approval, although desired, is not necessary."

As I have walked this road for the last couple years, Mother Nature has seemed to me to be the comforting presence of God; she has been my solace. The quality of being, existing in a constant flux of change, allowing growth to take place in the ritual of days and seasons, watching as the sun rises and sets, tracking the moon in its continuous orbit, witnessing the dormancy and then the burst in growth of plant life, and enjoying the routine, wistfulness, and faithfulness of animals... has opened my soul and has ushered in a sense of wholeness, hope, and renewal. And although I am still in the midst of the lesson, I am so very grateful for nature's teachings.

Living life, instead of living an ideal, is multifaceted. I'm learning about myself... my weaknesses, and my strengths. I'm learning about my difficulties in extending forgiveness, and I've realized I cannot do so without extending unconditional love. I'm learning about nature and its cyclical faithfulness. I'm learning about peace of heart in the midst of pain, and joy in the midst of suffering. I've felt the sting of a word spoken in frustration, and I've felt a wound close from a word aptly spoken by a faithful friend. I've witnessed the courage of another in offering a truce. I've received forgiveness and I have forgiven. At times, I've done these well, but more often than not, I've stumbled my way through them. I ask you, can it be any other way for a learner? 

And in all this, it's my hope and prayer that I am able to walk in love, mercy, and compassion for myself and others. Because whether humans agree with one another or not, we still belong to one another. In the constant ever-changing ways of our todays, it's my prayer that I will be a faithful friend to each of you. I am who I am. You are who you are. And both of us are beautiful.