Untangling Love
This story is about love. It comes out of my realizing how I am changing. It comes out of my desire for a new world. It is about my belief that we are all beings of love and healing includes a journey into the darker parts of ourselves to exhume, tend and ultimately to heal and transform into love.
How did your family of origin influence your ability to love?
In my family, love was hidden under other agendas. It just wasn’t the focus. My father was obsessed with his artistic vision. He struggled with depression and rage. My mother was emotionally cut off. Her focus was on the practical. Had we cleaned our rooms? Were our chores completed? Affirmation was rare. Although my father could be playful, both parents were often stressed and were critical of others. Between these two people, there were four children. I was one of those children, and my childhood impacted my ability to love.
Learning how to truly love (both self and others) has been a life path for me. I survived my childhood because I found love with the animals that surrounded me. They accepted me. They had time for me. I felt safe with them. They expressed love towards me and I towards them. I also knew there were realities other than the one I felt trapped in because I read. I read voraciously. I read to escape my life and be in another place. I read to find comfort. I read to find a place in which I…
