“Treat everyone as they want to be treated.
“We all come from love, and we all need love. Respect, kindness, and care are the key elements in friending persons behind bars. Unconditional love is the most precious currency we have…. The next time someone says or does something you don’t like, take a moment to pause and breathe. You would never say what they did. But then, you don’t have their genes and haven’t been in their shoes…. Treating people the way they want to be treated requires attention and intention. Practicing the Platinum Rule strengthens relationships, boosts self-esteem, and builds emotional intelligence and empathy.
“Jesus taught love our neighbor as you love yourself. Rosie says the second part is hardest for her…
“Loving others can come more easily than fully loving ourselves. Some family problems make us feel like an outsider. Maybe we feel weird because alcoholism or drug addiction has twisted a limb on the family tree. Maybe when we tell stories of our early lives, we filter out painful accounts of poverty, abandonment or domestic violence. Maybe illegitimacy or mental illness lurks in the family shadows. Maybe gambling kin lost everything by chasing fast money. Any one of these factors makes it hard to accept ourselves, even if none of it was our fault. Add them up, and generational problems of poverty, addition, and family dysfunction make it even harder to love ourselves.”
