Putting somebody else's well-being above yours.
Not having to compromise your beliefs to live in harmony.
Recognizing the beauty in the differences.
Hugging someone to express that which words do no justice.
Sharing your burdens to increase your strength.
Listening without judgement.
Facing crisis collectively to save the group instead of yourself.

... At the core, I believe love is multi-faceted. We should love all those who come near to us, but we will not love all of them the same way or in the same degree. This does not many anybody's love less important or valuable ... It simply makes them different facets to our life's jewel, connected by love for one another.

-- High quality education from beginning to end.

Maintaining a standard of education that is above average. Instead of lowering our margin of success in order to accomodate the average (and below-average) bears, our system of education should encourage all students to meet the highest standard and strive for excellence. Nurturing mediocrity creates an environment of laziness and dissatisfaction, for both students and teachers.

-- Wielding our dominion of the world with a loving hand.

Man has dominion over Earth. This does not mean we should rule over Her like tyrants, which is what we do. We lay waste to whatever we believe stands in the way of our prosperity, instead of seeking ways to coexist with the environment. We ignore the damage we cause as miniscule "in the grand scheme of things" despite our 7-billion-strong footprint. Evidence of centuries upon centuries of our iron-fisted rule over Earth increases exponentially each passing year. It is no longer acceptable to treat the planet as though She will tolerate every blow we strike against Her ... She was gifted to us by God to manage in His stead. We should treat His beautiful gift with the spirit of love and respect in which She was given.

-- Allowing children to BE children.

What happened to childhood? Why is it so wrong to allow a child to be a little naive? We expose our children to adult themes, bombard them with imagery they do not fully understand and expect them to digest it as adults, and then we are surprised when they do things like have sex at 10 or react to pressure by going on a shooting spree at the mall. What a tragic place we've come to when we no longer cherish what should be our dearest possessions, our children.

It took me many years to come to terms with myself, and then came coming to terms with my body. I still fuss inwardly over my figure, my weight, my hair, etc., but mostly I am about halfway between satisfaction and malcontent.

I eat well and don't have to try terribly hard to maintain a balance of healthy and comfort foods. I don't go out of my way to exercise -- though possibly I should -- but I walk wherever I need to go, or I use public transportation to get close enough to walk.

I look in the mirror and I think to myself, "You could stand to lose about 15 lbs." But then I smile, anyway, because beneath that squishy exterior is the me I've come to love. And the body seems to suit her. :)