Brave Enough To Be Bliss

by Whitney Houston. As with all songs, it can be interpreted a number of ways, but in general it’s explained online that Linda Creed wrote the song to describe life’s challenges and the need to be strong . Regardless of how the challenges turn out, it’s important to pass along that strength to children for them to carry into their adult lives. She died at age 37 on April 10, 1986, just a few weeks before Whitney Houston’s version of the song reached number one.

Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All (Official 4K Video) (youtube.com)

As I have had so many people share their stories of childhood trauma with me, afterwards, I circle back with them and ask if they felt loved by anyone as a child. They will tell me a variety of things, but the trend I have seen is that it wasn’t as importa nt who loved them, but rather that they felt loved by someone. Those who didn’t feel loved at all, including me, ended up with the most difficulty healing from the trauma. So, in my non expert observation, one thing everyone can do to help protect children from whatever happens in their lives, is to ensure they feel loved. And even though it can’t always protect in a way that avoids all pain, it provides a better chance for a baseline level of the greatest love of all and in that way, love always protects.

Love, in any of its forms, always protects. It provides hope, encouragement, and can help soothe any wound.

“Your child needs to be shown that they’re enough just as they are. That they’re believed in and that they’re endlessly valued and loved. Children can’t carry the weight of trying to earn the love and approval of their parents. Nor should they ever, ever have to. ” John Delony

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