Today, After 5 Months of Wondering... "What is Self-Love?", I Received my Answer. What a day.

(Copied, and pasted from a temporary blog of mine on 7/16/10, as originally posted by me that day, no further edits)

today was huge... after 5 months of wondering... what is self-love? what does it mean to "practice" self-love?... today, I received my answer... :) i was in tears... each time i thought about it... perhaps i can squeeze a few out here lol.

To me - Practicing self-love is this...
Loving ALL parts of who you are NOW. it's easy to love the part of you that goes nuts over cute babies, or dolphins skipping -- and i learned today that practicing self love is literally loving those parts of you that sometimes feel frustrated when something doesn't go right... or disappointed... or worrisome... or doubt... or even possibly fear... loving THOSE parts just as you love all the good feeling ones...

Today... I took the part of me that feels unsure... that has been showing up for years and years... causing doubt... worry.. confusion.. and lots of unsureness in countless moments... and when i first heard abe say "YOU are the only missing component... you're the only one in between you and all that you're wanting".. that would only make me more frustrated toward that unsure feeling i get so much... (i was clearly frustrated with myself!)

but today... under the guidance of a dear friend... i found a way to set aside my deep frustration toward those feelings.... and i began to treat that feeeeeling as if it were a person.. as if it was a part of Me... and i asked it if it had anything to share... and i listened... and images came... thoughts came... and as i sought to understand how this part of me was feeling, where it began, why... he (this unsure part of me) washed me with a wave of appreciation that brought me to streaming tears... because... for the first time.... someone was listening and wanting to understand... rather than hating or feeling frustrated or condemning...

so... Practicing self Love to me truly is... listening to... understanding... and opening up your heart to those parts of you which u usually condemn for the uneasy emotions they bring... treating each uneasy feeling you experience as a person, a part of you. That is true Self-Love... Loving ALL of that which is you - the happy you, and the sad you... because the sad you, has something to share... and if you sit with it, care for it, seek to understand it... it will soon release and join you in your now, join you and your higher love... and will then begin to work WITH you, bringing only good feeling inspiration, and no more sadness ever again...

it's a gradual process.. be patient... love all these parts of you as you'd love a child... hug them... hold their hand... understand them.... ask them for any guidance they wish to share....

Abe says it wonderfully here - "we want you to leave here never feeling badly about negative feelings again. We want you to welcome them when you experience them, place yourself in the middle of it, and then move towards your best better feeling thought."

I sometimes have images of me hugging a child, a younger part of me left behind at some point in my past who has been ignored each time i ignored or pushed away those emotions he was expressing... and as I hug him, and understand and listen to him... he cries, and I cry, and we are reunited once again.

Uri Talmor - Conscious Heart Integration - "Re-membering your wholeness... ...one part at a time."

Love,
D