Letter #2 By Colleen Akkerman

My goal is to share my love, support and wisdom with my granddaughter, through letters that will be made available for her when she is older. Because we are and always have been grandchildren, they are for you too!

My wisdom comes from a vast number of personal experiences and also from my dedicated and ongoing studies of The Ageless Wisdom Teachings. 

***********************************************************************

My Dearest Violet,

After spending over a week with you recently, I’ve witnessed your joyful and smiley nature, the creativeness in your play and your sparkling eyes looking right into mine, as if you could see into the depths of my Soul! I had so much fun taking care of you while your parents were away. I find this hard to believe, but in just a couple of weeks you will be two years old…it’s crazy how fast time is going and how fast you’re growing!

You are very engaging and quite fascinating to watch. You have two favorite toys…a stuffed bunny you call Bop and a cloth doll you call Baby. You confiscate dish towels from the kitchen and use them as blankets, covering Bop and Baby before patting them on the backs and telling them it’s nap time. You keep them close and insist on taking them with you for your own nap and bed times. Through role playing, you already express caring and nurturing qualities.

You like to “read” books out loud and have a language of your own with words I recognize interspersed throughout. Your voice is quite expressive…almost like you’re singing a song. Before you were born, your three grandmothers had a baby shower for you and instead of cards, we asked friends and family to bring you books. How did we know that you would be so into books? You spend a fair amount of time looking at them and commenting on them. I enjoy the times we cuddle up and read together.

You’re very observant and aware of your surroundings and when you play by yourself, you’re very focused. You are a cautious child by nature…which I think overall is a good thing.

You have a ritual that you don’t let any of us forget. That is, every night, after your dinner and bath, you want to ride in your Beep Beep, which is what you call your little pink car that you pretend to drive. It’s a family affair, a time of positive interaction and even when your parents were gone, we took you riding through the neighborhood. It’s fun, watching you observe the world around you, giving commentaries on what you see. 

Another fun thing, you started calling me Mimi. You couldn’t say grammy and I think Mimi came from the second part of Grammy, which is obviously easier for you to say…and I do like it because you gave it to me!

I can see that you feel loved and secure in your family environment and my hope is that you always will.

Love is a huge concept and my understanding of it is continually evolving.

Love can change our perspectives, it sometimes defies logic, yet it is a connecting link between us, no matter the distance we’re apart.

Throughout my life, I have experienced many different levels and expressions of love, as I’m sure you will as you grow up. Life has shown me that love can be shallow or deep, with many layers in-between. There’s romantic love; deep affectionate love for a friend; love and natural dependency for family; unconditional, universal love for humanity; and self-love and self-compassion.

Love can be conditional, full of rules, where the giving of it is used as a reward, or withheld as a punishment, based on one’s behavior or performance. Conditional love can cause constant worry and insecurity and is often something we learned as a child.

I know conditional love. I was praised when I was “good”… and when I was considered “bad or naughty”, my parents withheld their love, causing me to feel that I must be truly “bad”. I was a sensitive child and the result was that I felt insecure, had low self-esteem and believed that I didn’t belong in my family. I felt like an outsider.

I was often told “children should be seen and not heard”, which at the time I believed to be true. I thought that what I had to say didn’t matter…which resulted in my keeping my thoughts to myself. I don’t believe that anymore. Through a lot of work and healing, I came to understand that I am worthy, I am lovable, and most importantly, that my parents did the best they knew how to do at the time. As a mother, I learned first-hand that raising children isn’t easy.

A much higher vibration and expression of love is unconditional love. It is given freely and is consistent and always available, no matter if mistakes are made, or times are difficult. This level of love allows us to be ourselves, without fear of rejection. It accepts us as having value and extends love’s attributes to us…those being respect, acceptance and appreciation. This is the love that I have for you Violet.

I hope that you always choose to love and respect yourself. Self-love takes continuous reflection and understanding because doubt can sometimes creep in…when you’re tired or frustrated, someone calls you a name, or tells you you’re wrong, or not good enough. Remember that you are valued…you are a child of the Divine and you are Love, as is every man, woman and child on this planet.

I would like to see all human beings possess self-love, realize their value, have everything they need to thrive, feel loved by others for who they are and what they have to contribute…sounds very freeing doesn’t it?

A person who loves consciously is love in relation to everything and everyone they meet. There is no you and there is no me…just the moment…the love. “Love is a cosmic force whose sweep is irresistible” ~ a quote from Ernest Holmes.

These are some ideas for you to consider Violet…perhaps they can help you formulate your own thoughts about love and how you want to live your life. Enjoy the journey and always remember that Mimi loves you. Til next time!