"Together."

What would it look like to "love everyone?" As this year begins, this homeschooling mama is contemplating how to teach inclusivity. What are some tangible ways that I can teach these 7 kids to love themselves and others? Starting with the premise that in a broken world, true love is the only safe place to land. Until they learn to love themselves, they won't have the proper tools to love others.

"Can I look myself in the mirror and love those imperfections staring back at me?" Yes, I believe I can and that they can too. Their little eyes watch me daily to pick up my own inconsistencies. Determined to live what I am speaking to them, and become more "awoke" to the needs of a hurting generation; I ponder what it looks like to love others in my community. One tangible way to connect with others is through language. "How can I expect those in my community to hear my words if I refuse to say it in their native tongue?'

That is the first goal. We must begin to delve into languages that are common in our local area. Spanish is popular in our area. Some of my children have a natural inclination toward Spanish. It is part of their heritage. I myself do not know much beyond a semester of it at my local high school. But I can learn and so can they. We can embrace it together. We can find out how to express love in this particular language. Actually, love itself is the language that we can speak through our actions.

Next, sign language is becoming more necessary as diagnoses of Autism or its spectrum become prevalent. Both here and across the world. It is simple enough to research and present. I have heard that there aren't enough translators in this field. This is one small way that I can teach my children to include others. They can show love in this way. We are excited to say that materials are arriving to assist us any day. It also helps that we have seen sign language actually used in our hometown. And my children love to see the worship songs signed out at church!

What more can we do to stretch our arms out to a hurting community? We can embrace holidays that have been vague to us in the past. Just learning about them gives us an understanding of how another thinks. It also allows us to see the things that might be important to them. In this manner, we have experienced various foods and customs that we would not have been aware of before. It is fun to learn about the happenings of the world through the many days on the calendar. One that we are looking forward to is Chinese New Year. We can't wait to make masks and maybe light some lanterns up.

In conclusion, these are our small efforts to spend a year learning to love. We are all capable of getting out of our comfort zones and selfish bubbles to hear what our community needs. Yes, it may be difficult, challenging, and uncomfortable. But these are small seeds that are being planted into the next generation. We may not see the trees they will produce yet, but one day we will. Where a small group of 7 kids changes the world they will live in by the love they have for others. That is the dream that resonated in the past and still is vital today.