Today is day 36 of my love challenge and I feel divided.  I lost my closest, dearest friend last Tuesday; I was at her side when she passed.
It took us both by surprise; I will never forget the look on her face when she took her last breath.  I will never know if it was a blessing or not, but she died not knowing that she was sick from cancer.  She was admitted into the hospital for lower back pain combined with an allergic reaction to pain medication that caused her to have shortness of breath.
The next morning I was so angry, I felt hopeless, how could this have happened? She was supposed to go home that day.  As I was ready to leave the apartment, I realized I didn't do my I Love You's...then I thought to myself, "Why should I?"  As I reached the door something stopped me in my tracks, I turned back, went to the mirror, looked at myself for a few seconds and then I whispered ;  I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU. 
At this very moment I wanted to share this...because one of important lessons in this Love Challenge is to be in the moment, be present and look at yourself and say something good to yourself.  The day Cathy died, we talked, she laughed at my silly jokes, and I read her text messages from friends, a letter from our friend Jerry and a prayer that my sister sent.
When it's cold outside, we wear hats and gloves,When it's hot and the sun is shining, we coat ourselves with sunblock.
So when you do the Love challenge, you coat yourself with Love.
I will always love you Cathy and I am grateful that our last hour together, I read you the daily word "Comfort", and I held your hand.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
Daphne

I love you and ...

Today I said my I Love You's...partially as a whisper, the rest...filled with tears.
I am so deeply saddened and feel lost, but my I Love Yous keep me grounded.

Day 25...I Love You

Wow...I can't believe how fast 25 days have passed...oh yes I can.

please note...I use a lot of LOVE in the post, so please don't gag :-)

I have to tell you, this project has kept me busy.   Everyday I am busy blogging, emailing, posting and speaking about LOVE, how great is that.

This past week I really looked forward to my few moments in the morning, looking at myself, smiling, playing with the skin on my neck LOL(yes, I laugh at myself a lot) ...and send that loving vibration into my core.  I also like my daily reminder of how blessed I feel and how loved I am.  It really gave me the extra strength I needed to be there for one of my friends, who is having some serious health issues.  I was glad that I had some extra Love energy to bring to her, Love that I feel from all of you.

I really loved reading some of the emails you sent sharing your nurturing stories, it's really great to hear the good news. 

Well it's Friday and I am looking forward to seeing some friends and getting out and enjoying the weather, hope you can do the same.

I love you!!!!!

Day 21 - Monday, March 5th, 2012

I can not believe it's day 21..

Today I am feeling proud because I have reached the 21st day of the I LOVE YOU's (ILY).
I really enjoy going to my chart and saying my I Love You's...

Today in particular I needed the I Love You...above is a card that my son gave me for Valentine's day.  I had it hanging on our front door, but this morning he was so angry at me,

he tried to rip it down..after saying under his breath, "die, just die" and "I hate you".

Having the mornings to say the ILY's , really does give me a coat of armour for the day.  I actually didn't get as upset when he stomped his size 11.5 feet, "accidentally" dropped the garbage bags on my feet and tried the old, I will stare you down, get in my face move.

God help me.

Anyway, that's how the morning started, but getting back to the mirror and saying I love you does bring me great comfort.

Well I am ready for my Monday, and I will focus on the great weekend I had with Lourdes visiting from Miami and seeing some of you on Saturday at the Met.  I really enjoyed my Museum Saturday,  it was one of the first times in a long time I really, really loved walking through the galleries.

Have a great week, I love you!

I really hope I hear from more of you, just a quick word or two about your experience...

Sophia

For my first entry, I would like to write about an experience I had while interviewing participants in the project. A short while ago, I helped to interview a young girl named Sophia. She is participating in the project with her mother, and is very enthusiastic about the process.

During a conversation, the concept of looking in the mirror and thinking "ew!" was mentioned. Sophia was asked if she ever had this experience. She laughed, and said that this had never happened to her. To her, this seemed to be a crazy notion. Sophia's response was very inspirational to me. I was reminded that children to not have the hang ups and insecurities about self image that many adults have gathered over time. As women, I think that we are taught to look in the mirror and think "ew." I am trying to remember this when I say my "I love you's." When we are still fairly new to the world, I think is easier to find love for ourselves.

During the project, I have wondered whether my mother or grandmother ever said "I love you" to themselves. My grandmother was one of the most beautiful people I have ever known, and exceptionally talented. I hate to admit that she probably never did say "I love you" to herself, at least not consciously. She was raised to believe that her talent and beauty was dangerous; something that should not be flaunted or highlited. It is strange that such a simple task can involve so many complicated ideas and feelings.