The Greatest Love of All

Recently, Carrie Klassen, a woman I admire greatly met a challenge to write a love letter to herself and publish it. Then she challenged everyone who read it to also do the same. I decided to meet the challenge for two reasons.

As a life coach I am always asking clients to write a love letter to themselves to connect with self-love and yet, I can't remember ever doing so myself. So reason number 1 - to practice what I teach. As a human being, with pain and ego and everything else that comes with being human, I needed to put it out there that I love who I am - reason number 2. It's not easy but it is one of the best exercises you can do.

So what follows is my love letter to myself. If you want to read Carrie's love letter you can here. And if you are up for the challenge you can post your love letter to yourself in the comments section below. I hope you do.

Dear Bettina,

I love the way you sing whenever you think you’re alone – as if you were on stage at the ACC.

I love how passionate you get about all your creative outlets, especially the sweetness that comes from making things with love. I love that you are so giving and loving when you share the things you make with others.

I love your big fat Italian hair, that looks ten times bigger when it dries on it’s own than when you straighten and tame it to a sleek finish. I love looking into those deep brown eyes and seeing your compassion, love, kindness and sensitivity to other’s pain.

I love that you still believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and angels. I love listening to you when you go out into the garden on a sunny summer day and talk to the fairies.

I love how comfortable it is to be around you, how people always notice this and are attracted to your peaceful energy. How your voice can lull people into that same peace as you speak to them.

I love your laugh and how you use it often and at the silliest things, letting your inner child come out and play as often as possible.

I love how easy it is for you to just be who you are and know that it’s okay. I love how you listen with your heart and not your head.

I love your funny Roman nose and how it wrinkles when you smile that smile that says you know a thousand jokes that you are just dying to tell.

I love that you can’t pass a hat shop without going in and trying on every hat in the store, or that a toy shop fills you with joy.

I love how you find it so easy to just pick up and do something you’ve never done before without a thought that you might not be able to do it.

I love that you feel just as comfortable in a beautiful gown or dress as you do in a pair of painter pants with a brush in your hand.

I love that you can be a tomboy one minute and a girlie girl the next and how that helps you to fit in with whoever you are with.

I love your sense of adventure, the way you read Italian just because you love how it sounds and feels on your tongue even if you don’t know what it means.

I like that you have an Anne of Green Gables paper doll set hidden in your bedroom nightstand and you occasionally pull it out and play with it when no one is around.

I like that you cringe at the thought of watching a violent movie and are incensed when you hear of anyone being hurt, harmed or bullied.

I love that your heart is big and your judgment small. That your love is given full on, without boundaries, no matter what and how that makes me want to love you even more.

I love you so much it aches sometimes because I think you don’t really know deep down how loveable you are.

But never forget dear soul, that I love you deeply, truly and always.

With love and kindness

Bettina