"This above all,--to thine own self be true; and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." William Shakespeare in Hamlet
I just came from parent teacher interviews and enjoyed a great discussion with the boys' english teacher about both their strengths and weaknesses. We ended up also discussing the fact that Carlin's class will be studying Hamlet next, and how people seem to either really enjoy Shakespeare - or not. I remember loving Hamlet, getting absorbed in the story and enjoying the rich imagery in the writing. This lead me to remember the above quote, which is well known and often quoted. But, like any well-known quote, the power of the meaning often is lost in its familiarity.
The reason this stood out for me at this time, is that there are a few situations in my life where I have finally come to the conclusion that I need to just simply be true to myself. I keep hoping other people will see the situation the way that I do, but in the end I can't make that happen. What I can do, is honour the values and truths within myself, which I believe to be God given, and act on those. I know in my heart-of-hearts what is true for me in those situations, and I need to give myself the gift of honouring that. I need to also believe in myself enough to know that whether anyone else believes in me or not is not what is important. What is important is that there is a God who loves me and wants what is best for me, and that he has called me to love myself enough to act on what I know to be best for me. How freeing it feels to finally come to this conclusion.
Thank you Shakespeare! Who would have thought remembering an old quote from high school english, and having it brought back to my attention by my son's high school english teacher would be so powerful. You never know what blessings are around the corner.... :-)
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