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The Word Is Love~Lessons In Self-Acceptance, Relationships & Other Things That Really Matter
For the longest time I walked through the world weighed down with dangerous emotions. There were reasons for this mindset. In the summer of 1998, after feeling sick for so long, I got the diagnosis that changed my life changed forever. I had lupus, an autoimmune disease; by nature debilitating and unpredictable. With it came chronic pain and fatigue that took over every minute of my every day.
For years I managed my life and responsibilities in the shadow of illness. I struggled to be happy. Anger consumed me. I grew tired as I mourned the former me.
After grappling with the threat of illness for well over ten years, and grieving the loss of a parent, I arrived at a place where I didn’t want to be angry, scared and sad anymore. I wanted to focus on what was good. I wanted to stop raging against my body for its perceived failures. I longed to revisit a long held dream: to be a writer. To start my journey to a better and more peaceful life, I needed to shift expectations, of myself, others and the world.
The Word Is Love-Lessons in Self-Acceptance, Relationships & Other Things That Really Matter explores the beginning of this long overdue journey, presented in a collection of essays about my experiences.
In a world filled with shiny, frivolous things and the constant pressure to be perfect and keep up, there is a joy that comes from being firmly in touch with what I value. As painful as it has been, illness and loss have had a hand in my evolution. They have put me on the road to what I am meant to do, and the person I am meant to be.
The path to fully appreciating all that is good in our lives never really ends. There will always be good, wonderful days when we are able to see things clearly; and there will always be challenging days when the negative get the best of us. I want to keep perspective so the good outweighs the bad.
Now that I am on my way, I know what I want to achieve.
I want to be well.
I always want to know love in my life and fully cherish my amazing family and friends.
I want to love what I see when I look in the mirror, honor my talents and like the person I am inside.
I want to embrace simplicity, focusing less on things and more on experiences, because moments feed my soul one million times more than things ever could.
And I want to know that aspirations are never beyond my reach.
I want all of these things for everyone.
The Word Is Love celebrates what is important. I hope you join me in the celebration, and it leads you to a place of happiness, self-acceptance, potential, and a love for what matters.
For years I managed my life and responsibilities in the shadow of illness. I struggled to be happy. Anger consumed me. I grew tired as I mourned the former me.
After grappling with the threat of illness for well over ten years, and grieving the loss of a parent, I arrived at a place where I didn’t want to be angry, scared and sad anymore. I wanted to focus on what was good. I wanted to stop raging against my body for its perceived failures. I longed to revisit a long held dream: to be a writer. To start my journey to a better and more peaceful life, I needed to shift expectations, of myself, others and the world.
The Word Is Love-Lessons in Self-Acceptance, Relationships & Other Things That Really Matter explores the beginning of this long overdue journey, presented in a collection of essays about my experiences.
In a world filled with shiny, frivolous things and the constant pressure to be perfect and keep up, there is a joy that comes from being firmly in touch with what I value. As painful as it has been, illness and loss have had a hand in my evolution. They have put me on the road to what I am meant to do, and the person I am meant to be.
The path to fully appreciating all that is good in our lives never really ends. There will always be good, wonderful days when we are able to see things clearly; and there will always be challenging days when the negative get the best of us. I want to keep perspective so the good outweighs the bad.
Now that I am on my way, I know what I want to achieve.
I want to be well.
I always want to know love in my life and fully cherish my amazing family and friends.
I want to love what I see when I look in the mirror, honor my talents and like the person I am inside.
I want to embrace simplicity, focusing less on things and more on experiences, because moments feed my soul one million times more than things ever could.
And I want to know that aspirations are never beyond my reach.
I want all of these things for everyone.
The Word Is Love celebrates what is important. I hope you join me in the celebration, and it leads you to a place of happiness, self-acceptance, potential, and a love for what matters.
134 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
2 people want to read
About the author
Allyson Clayton
4 books2 followersI wear many hats. I am the wife of a really wonderful man. I am the daughter of an amazing mom. I am the mommy of two sweet pups, and the blessed friend of many beautiful people. I am a person who has known the challenges of living with autoimmune disease. I am an individual who has often stumbled on her path to a fulfilling life, and who has struggled to know her true calling.
Above all, I am a woman who is very much a work in progress, with tons of dreams, and ideas of what she wants out of life.
After many years of the usual grind, I reassessed everything. I had many things to be happy about, but life and routine began to chip away at my soul. I had been living with health challenges for well over a decade. I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus in the summer of 1998. Eventually I was afflicted by secondary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. All that time I was managing and making it work. It just reached a point where something had to give.
The time had come for me to work toward my best, happiest place. I left the corporate world behind and dedicated my time to my family, achieving better health, and pursuing the career I dreamed of since I was a child: writing. I launched this blog in February of 2012. In August 2012 I independently published my first book.
In sharing the realities, humor and struggles of my marriage and relationships, being healthy, loving myself, and finding the awesome things in this world that move me, I hope you can find it in yourself to do the same. We should do what excites us and makes us happy. I want my message to be about love, humor, hopes, dreams, passions, talent, good health, compassion for self and others, and living life without reservation. All are things to be celebrated. Passionately.
Above all, I am a woman who is very much a work in progress, with tons of dreams, and ideas of what she wants out of life.
After many years of the usual grind, I reassessed everything. I had many things to be happy about, but life and routine began to chip away at my soul. I had been living with health challenges for well over a decade. I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus in the summer of 1998. Eventually I was afflicted by secondary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. All that time I was managing and making it work. It just reached a point where something had to give.
The time had come for me to work toward my best, happiest place. I left the corporate world behind and dedicated my time to my family, achieving better health, and pursuing the career I dreamed of since I was a child: writing. I launched this blog in February of 2012. In August 2012 I independently published my first book.
In sharing the realities, humor and struggles of my marriage and relationships, being healthy, loving myself, and finding the awesome things in this world that move me, I hope you can find it in yourself to do the same. We should do what excites us and makes us happy. I want my message to be about love, humor, hopes, dreams, passions, talent, good health, compassion for self and others, and living life without reservation. All are things to be celebrated. Passionately.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 2, 2013
The Word Is Love is a beautifully written memoir in which the author turns life's tragedies into a wake-up call to see every moment as a gift, and to start a love affair with life, herself and what makes her happy. Lucky for us readers, this includes writing.
It's not easy to get a diagnosis of lupus, experience the pain associated with it and with fibromyalgia, to lose one's self-esteem when it is based on a beautiful exterior and career success. But it's not easy even for those without a disabling illness to feel self-acceptance and self-love. That Allyson achieves that and offers us her wise guidance is truly a gift we should gratefully accept. Oh yes, the author also covers the healing power of gratitude and forgiveness, all an expression of LOVE.
Losing her father, Allyson realized that "We have a finite amount of time to make our dent in the universe." With this book, she has definitely made a dent in helping us all realize that every moment counts, and inspires all her readers to move beyond fear and reach for their dreams.
When talking of her journey, Allyson is exceptionally eloquent when she realizes she still has the chance to make a difference in the world. "As long as there is breath in you, never stop breathing. Never stop hoping. Never stop wishing." What more can I say, but buy this book and live its message.
Becca Chopra, author of Chakra Secrets, The Chakra Diaries, and Balance Your Chakras, Balance Your Life
It's not easy to get a diagnosis of lupus, experience the pain associated with it and with fibromyalgia, to lose one's self-esteem when it is based on a beautiful exterior and career success. But it's not easy even for those without a disabling illness to feel self-acceptance and self-love. That Allyson achieves that and offers us her wise guidance is truly a gift we should gratefully accept. Oh yes, the author also covers the healing power of gratitude and forgiveness, all an expression of LOVE.
Losing her father, Allyson realized that "We have a finite amount of time to make our dent in the universe." With this book, she has definitely made a dent in helping us all realize that every moment counts, and inspires all her readers to move beyond fear and reach for their dreams.
When talking of her journey, Allyson is exceptionally eloquent when she realizes she still has the chance to make a difference in the world. "As long as there is breath in you, never stop breathing. Never stop hoping. Never stop wishing." What more can I say, but buy this book and live its message.
Becca Chopra, author of Chakra Secrets, The Chakra Diaries, and Balance Your Chakras, Balance Your Life
Displaying 1 of 1 review