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Hello again my dear Sisters! Hope all is well in your world! First of all, I would like to welcome all new members and send out special wishes to all Sisters celebrating special occasions this month. And to all you WONDERFUL Mothers out there...hope your Mother's Day was as wonderful as you! :)
Next, I would like to encourage all members to read the entire newsletter. This is only a monthly event and always contains important updates and information about SOLP and its members. So, take time to read about YOUR family.
I leave you with the following food for thought this month. Wishing you much love, peace, health, and happiness!
Self-Disclosure by Melody Beattie
Learning to gently reveal who we are is how we open ourselves up to love and intimacy in our relationships. Many of us have hidden under a protective shell, a casing that prevents others from seeing or hurting us. We do not want to be that vulnerable. We do not want to expose our thoughts, feelings, fears, weaknesses, and sometimes our strengths, to others. We do not want others to see who we really are. We may be afraid they might judge us, go away or not like us. We may be uncertain that who we are is okay or exactly how we should reveal ourselves to others.
Being vulnerable can be frightening, especially if we have lived with people who abused, mistreated, manipulated, or did not appreciate us. Little by little, we learn to take the risk of revealing ourselves. We disclose the real person within to others. We pick safe people, and we begin to disclose bits and pieces about ourselves. Sometimes, out of fear, we may withhold, thinking that will help the relationship or will help others like us more. That is an illusion. Withholding who we are does not help us, the other person, or the relationship. Withholding is a behavior that backfires. For true intimacy and closeness to exist, for us to love ourselves and be content in a relationship, we need to disclose who we are. That does not mean we tell all to everyone at once. That can be a self-defeating behavior too. We can learn to trust ourselves, about who to tell, when to tell, where to tell, and how much to tell.
To trust that people will love and like us if we are exactly who we are is frightening. But it is the only way we can achieve what we want in relationships. To let go of our need to control others...their opinions, their feelings about us, or the course of the relationship...is the key. Gently, like a flower, we can learn to open up. Like a flower, we will do that when the sun shines and there is warmth.
Today, may you take the risk of disclosing who you are to someone with whom you feel safe. May you let go of some of your protective devices and risk being vulnerable--even though you may have been taught differently, even though you may have taught yourself differently. May you disclose who you are in a way that reflects self-responsibility, self-love, directness, and honesty. May your Higher Power help you to let go of fears about disclosing who you are to people. Accept who you are, and let go of your need to be who people want you to be.
With Much Love & Peace,
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