My shirt says I stand for LOVE but do my actions?

My writing says I stand for non-judgment but do my actions?

My words to my children say I stand for kindness, but do my actions?

Do my actions religiously line up with what I preach and what I believe?

Sadly, no.

Not for me, and dear God, I hope I'm not the only one who struggles to live as the person they long to be who is someone

good,
kind,
compassionate,
empathetic,
patient,
at-peace,
loving,
supportive,
forgiving,
open-minded,
accepting,
tolerant,
positive,
calm,
and
authentic.

I want to stand for all that is right in this world, and my biggest success would be raising children who are capable of and desire to do the same.

But, I am human, and so are they, and so are you, and thus, quite regularly, we all fudge up.

We rush to be critical when we shouldn't.

We're unappreciative when we should be grateful.

We'll mock instead of help.

We'll hold a grudge instead of forgiving.

We'll get trapped in a cycle of negativity.

We'll take on the day in one giant grumble.

We'll be standoffish.

We'll frustrate quickly.

We'll be cold.

We'll detach.

We'll drape ourselves in indifference.

Until something happens, of course.

Until something, someone or a moment makes it's way into our day acting as a reminder of what life is all about, how we should be living it, and what our higher purpose is.

My shirt says I stand for LOVE, but do my actions?

That's what I'm going to focus on today, and if each of us pays closer attention to how well we are aligning with the Grade-A version of ourselves we hope to one day be, we'll actually be much closer to becoming her.

Be what it is you stand for, and by the grace of your example, your children will always be beside you knowing precisely who they should be and who it is they innately are -- a good human, like their parent.