CFD Director’s Message 3.13.24

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“This I now know for certain: I do all of growing during the times in my life when I am offering compassion to the parts of myself that have not yet grown. I never once managed to shame myself into a version of me I loved more.” – Andrea Gibson

When I was young, the grown-ups in my life fell short when it came to modeling self-compassion. It took me a long time to heal from it and cultivate an inner voice that is kind to myself. In fact, appreciating my voice and writing down my stories from a place of inherent worth has taken me most of three decades to reclaim. What I have to say doesn’t feel more or less important than any other voice, but the hope is that it helps us feel more connected. Nonetheless, the value of how the practice connects me to myself makes it worthwhile.

I am truly glad to be growing into a better friend to myself these days and dispelling the anxiety that used to stifle my creative fire. I am finally confident that I’d rather stumble sometimes and learn from it than live in fear of saying something wrong. A prayer I hold is that more and more of us discover how liberating humility and a growth mindset can be.

In addition to our regular Sunday programming for children, here are other March dates to look forward to: