With so much happening in the world of late I’ve been thinking about two words: Strong Heart.
Though small and stout in their appearance, together Strong Heart encompasses so much.
If you say them slowly and definitely, you will feel them skip across your breath to comfort your heart like a wise and familiar friend.
… Strong Heart.
They are at once sturdy and graceful, encompassing the ideals of courage and love. They don’t waste time. They cost nothing, they don’t even take much energy.
And they give.
These two little words, Strong Heart, have become my family’s guiding light since my daughter was a little girl. And so beautifully, they have become a companion as she has grown.
I say them sparingly, applying them as a balm when I see her falter, or lose her sense of self, or when she needs courage for the little things that are big in her life, and when there has been the occasional big thing, too.
To apply these words, I hold her gently by the shoulders. I look her in her eyes. I place my hand on her heart, and say, Strong Heart.
As the words transfer from me to her, I feel I am imparting that all encompassing love that is deep and eternal. A motherâs love (but it could be a friend, a sister, an aunty.)
And, I reaffirm to myself that I can handle what life is throwing at me to protect her.
I draw on what is good, quiet, assured, graceful.
And so I give this phrase to you: Strong Heart.