Maria’s Sunday Paper: The Power of Relationships

Love. It’s that four-letter word that makes our world go ‘round.

Artists sing about love. Writers write about love. Painters paint about love. Protestors take to the streets carrying placards that plead for more love. And, every once in a while, a political leader stands up and speaks about the importance of leading from a place of love. (I wish this happened more often than it does.)

I believe in love big time. I also believe that we can all get better at loving ourselves and loving each other.

Love is easy and love is hard. Even if you’ve been burned by it, you still want to put your heart back in the fire. It’s just that good. It’s just that necessary. It’s just that vital to your health.

Because love is such a big topic, I talk to my kids about it a lot. I talk about what I’ve come to learn love is, and what it isn’t. The truth is, I don’t think we talk enough about the reality of everyday love. So often it presents itself to us in small moments, but we’re too busy to stop and notice that it’s there, much less give gratitude for it.

Real love soothes. It makes you feel safe and secure. It’s not about finding someone to complete you. It’s about finding someone to complement you. It’s about finding people in your life who will accept you, listen to you, understand you, and love you unconditionally.

Finding someone who loves you is the ultimate brass ring in life. Finding friends and companions who love you is super important, too. I believe that we should all look to fill ourselves up with love. Find people who you love. Find work that you love. Find a purpose that you love. Find things that bring out the love in you.

I wanted to write about love this week because, like many of you, I think it’s what we all need more of right now. Our country needs more love, for sure. Our neighbors need more love. And, if we are really honest with ourselves, I think we would all admit that we need more of it, too. I know I do.

So this week, think about how you can get better at love. Yes, I’m talking to you. Think about how you can be more loving, even to those who you find it hard to love. There will always be people who have wronged you, or who you have wronged yourself. There will always be people who we disagree with or who have pushed our buttons. But, I think our lives (and our peace of mind) will be better off if we find it within us to love these people, too.

I believe that we are all capable of leading from a place of love. It doesn’t require an Ivy League education, a big bank account, or anything materialistic from you at all. You can be a leader of love just by the way you act, the way you talk, the way you behave, and the way you interact with your fellow human beings.

We all have a choice: we can either bring out the love in others, or we can bring out the fear and hate in them. Why not bring out the love? I mean, let’s face it. When people are in love — when they feel loved — they are so much easier to deal with. They are so much more fun to be around. They are so much kinder and compassionate.

After all, love is what truly heals in the end. It is the nourishment we are all seeking. It heals broken hearts, broken families, and bitter political divides.

Loving someone is medicine for the soul. It breaks down walls, and that’s what we all need to happen right now. We need leaders in our homes, in our businesses, and in our politics who are strong enough (and brave enough) to lead from a place of love. We need people who talk about loving our neighbors as we would ourselves.

The language of love speaks to far more people than hate ever will. If you stop, take a deep breath and sit still, then I think you will see that what I’m saying is true. Who would choose hate when the option of love is on the table?

So today, get your loving on. Speak that language. In the end, what truly makes a person (and a country) great is whether they understand how to love. We all know that to be true, so let’s just do it.

“I’ve Been Thinking… Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life”: Going on a trip this summer? Bring Maria’s book along with you! 

 

WHAT OTHERS HAVE BEEN THINKING

The Architects of Change below will inspire you and make you think

DR. CHRISTIANE NORTHRUP TELLS US HOW TO AVOID ‘ENERGY VAMPIRES’ IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS

Architect of Change Dr. Christiane Northrup, an expert in women’s health, has found that there are people out there who can literally drain us of our vital energy. She calls them “Energy Vampires” and they are particularly drawn to empathic people. In this excerpt from her latest book, “Dodging Energy Vampires,” Dr. Northrup explores the “vampire-empath” relationship. 

RELATIONSHIP EXPERT JOANNA COLES EXPLAINS HOW TO FIND LASTING LOVE IN TODAY’S DIGITAL WORLD

Finding lasting love in today’s digital age can be daunting. That’s why former Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan editor Joanna Coles spent several years researching her new book, “Love Rules.” In this excerpt from the book, Joanna offers guidance on the healthiest path to a true love.

ANGIE JOHNSEY OFFERS ADVICE ON HOW TO FIND PEACE AND HAPPINESS IN ALL OUR RELATIONSHIPS

My dear friend and Sunday Paper columnist Angie Johnsey opines that our relationships go far beyond the romantic. In this exclusive essay, Angie offers an opportunity to view the larger perspective of relationships that can bring us back into emotional balance and harmony. 

ENTREPRENEUR NELY GALÁN EXPLAINS HOW TO CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY 

Architect of Change Nely Galan is an immigrant, self-made media mogul, and author of the book, “SELF MADE: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way.” In her essay today, Nelly explains how to “divorce” yourself from a negative relationship with money so that you can become more successful and self-reliant. 

GIADA DE LAURENTIIS SHARES HOW HER LOVE OF FOOD HAS NURTURED HER RELATIONSHIPS

I truly enjoyed my conversation this week with my friend, chef and restaurateur Giada De Laurentiis. In her latest book “Giada’s Italy: My Recipes for La Dolce Vita,” Giada reveals how exploring her Italian roots has helped strengthen relationships with friends and family through food. 

This Week We Shine a Light on… Ginger Gentile

Who: Ginger Gentile a documentary filmmaker,

How She’s Moving Humanity Forward: Ginger is putting a spotlight on people who are being “erased” from their families following divorce or separation.  

NEWS TO GET YOU THINKING…

1. Rescue of Thai Boys Soccer Team Unites Us for a Common Cause: The harrowing rescue of the 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach had the world enrapt this week. To me, it was a powerful example of how people of all different cultures and walks of life can come together for a common cause.

2. Here’s Why Your Brain Tricks You Into Doing Less Important Tasks First: Do you tend to procrastinate the more urgent or important tasks in your life? There is a scientific reason for that and it’s called the “urgency effect.” 

3. Bad Relationships Can Make You Physically Sick: For this Sunday Paper issue about love and relationships, we found this interesting TIME magazine piece that will get you thinking. It reveals how toxic relationships affect our physical well-being. 

4. Science Reveals How to Have the Most Fun in Your Free Time: This is an interesting piece that explains why researchers have found that classic time management strategies may backfire when it comes to enjoying leisure activities. 

5. We All Need to Stop Listening to That Inner Voice That Tells Us, ‘You Can’t’: So many of us fall victim to negative thinking, but we cannot give those thoughts power over our lives. New York Times best-selling author Ruth Soukup shares three practical strategies that’ll help you silence that voice and believe in yourself. 

6. Post-Divorce Is When We Need the Most Love and Support: This is an interesting perspective about the needs of those following divorce, a period when so many are at their most financially and emotionally vulnerable.

7. Meet the Woman Who Raised Tech Mogul Elon Musk: Finally, this week on TODAY, I had the opportunity to sit down with Maye Musk, mother of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. One heck of an inspiring woman, she talked with me about the love that motivated her to raise her family and make it on her own.

SUNDAY REFLECTION

I love this poem by Gallway Kinnell. It reminds us of the beauty all around us, and that mortality is an affirmation of life.

INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

This week, I’m featuring a quote by Therese of Lisieux that was sent to me by Sunday Paper Ambassador Diane Famiglietti. Thank you for sharing! We should all live our lives by this beautiful sentiment.

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HEAR WHAT ONE OF OUR SUNDAY PAPER AMBASSADORS HAS BEEN THINKING…

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