Lesson 8~ All You Need Is (Unconditional) Love

Bonus Episode 9! The final episode in the 8 Lessons Lupus Taught Me: From Surviving To Thriving With Autoimmune Diseases bonus podcast series. This episode includes both the final Lesson 8: All You Need Is (Unconditional) Love and also (bonus within a bonus) the final chapter Closing Thoughts to wrap up the book. 

This final lesson 8 is the most personal and difficult, even now. Maybe because it's the most important or maybe because I'm still refining. As I reflect, I think I first learned this lesson very close to home in my marriage. I share personal insights and the process of recognizing that I was, although unaware and well intended, building walls and taking hostages when it came to my heart and my love.

Fortunately, I continued to be taught this lesson of forgiveness and not only did it start with me, but I needed to forgive myself. I had to learn to love and accept myself. Not just lip service but truly love myself in spite of my imperfections. This included my body that I was very angry and frustrated because it had betrayed me. I had to unconditionally love ME. That was hard because I didn't really know how.

Learning to forgive and love myself, as I am, with all of my faults and weaknesses was the most difficult project I've ever had in my life. It could only be done with the divine love from above. Feeling that acceptance, love, and worthiness came as I remembered who I was born to be. When I remembered that I am a daughter of God, and He created a being with potential to be exactly what I needed to be. 

When I was truly honest with myself, I found the pattern of criticism, blame, shame, guilt, and complaint all took the responsibility off of me and put it on others. I realize that is not accurate and it certainly isn't love.

I found that when I released criticism, blame, shame, guilt, and complaint and owned my reaction of acceptance, benefit of the doubt, compassion, forgiveness, and compliments I generally end up with a different end result. It certainly feels more like love.

Closing Thoughts...

What I have learned on this journey is that our bodies are amazing and that two-thirds of our life is not tangible. Two-thirds of our body's existence and experience are not visible. We must tune in and recognize and maintain our mind and our spirit just as much as our body.

My body is my barometer that lets me know how well I am doing at caring for my mind and spirit in addition to my body. I now look at my autoimmune diseases as a blessing. They help me recognize and get my lifestyle choices back into check before I am too out of balance.

Daily meditation, prayer, and energy work along with recognizing and being just as aware of what I put in my mind as I am what I put in my mouth are critical. I now recognize that toxins are not only in our physical environment but also in our energetic environment and the world that we live in. It is my responsibility to take care of the gift that I have been given in my physical experience and to respect the mind and the spirit as well. 

I am blessed to be thriving with Autoimmune Diseases. These were important lessons for me to learn and I hope that they in some way can tough your life or be the insight you were looking for on your journey. Hope, peace, joy, and love were not what I found online when I googled Lupus but that is what I have found in my autoimmune journey. May you have similar findings on your journey.

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