Love From Maria

​ ​ S M L You might say "I love you" every day, but when's the last time you had a serious conversation with someone about the meaning of love?" - Brené Brown  Well then. I talk and write about love a lot. It's my jam, it's my thing, it's what drives every decision I make, or at least I try. But I don't often define it, maybe that's because it's hard to define. Love is being kind, and a friend and supportive. Love is a whole lot of things.  Yesterday was a heavy day. I'm not sure what the universe is up to right now but there's something in the mix. Yesterday took me the edge of myself - I laughed, I cried, I felt defeated and not good enough, I felt afraid. And then, not all at once, I felt stronger, I felt able, I felt empowered and I felt like I belonged.  Yesterday someone reminded me of the ways that love shows up. That love is genuine, it's shared, it's built on trust and support. Love is together, it&#

​ ​ S M L I grew up in a house that might as well have had a revolving door. From younger than I can remember we have had extras in our home. My parents hardly thought twice about taking in cousins, nieces, nephews or friends.   We didn't grow up in a big house either, so from a young age we learned to share spaces - I actually didn't have my own room until I was nineteen - but I must credit my step-siblings with that - thanks Paula and Jack. And I'm not complaining, in fact, I think it prepared us with incredible patience and understanding for shared situations.  ​ ​ S M L Extra people always came in handy for things like finishing your lasagne, thank you Colin, or creating the best sandwich ever - the Michael Marchildon. That's ham, mayo and cheese on bread, melted in the microwave, in case you're wondering - haha - and it's delicious.  ​ ​ S M L Extra people also meant extra friends - extra family. When I was around six my cousi