My daughter gave me this mug for my birthday last week because she knows I love fun coffee mugs, and because I say this to my kids all the time. It usually comes out when one of them jumps up to help with the dishes without being asked or I find them folding a load of laundry…

“This is why you’re my favorite!”

It’s sort of a running joke because as a parent, we’re not supposed to have favorites, right? But it also happens to be 100% true because they’re all my favorites…all the time…for a million little reasons. And they know that because they hear it from me a lot. Sometimes when I’m being silly and often when I’m being totally serious.

While chatting with a friend today (about how mean our society seems to have become) and sipping coffee from this mug, it occurred to me that a lot of us are missing this. That security that comes from knowing we are someone’s favorite. That we are loved…all the time…for a million little reasons.

That thought settled heavy on my heart. It’s fear and a sense of lack that lowers someone’s vibration and makes them hurtful. It seems that everyone is just trying to grab onto a sense of belonging and love.

You belong.

You are loved.

And you are exactly what the world needs.

Yes, you! Even if you’re imperfect (hello, you’re human…you’re not meant to be perfect). Even if you’ve done things that hurt others (again…human…learn from that $h*# and grow…that’s part of the journey). Even when you’re not the kid jumping up to do the dishes or fold the laundry. You are wonderful and the world needs you…

“That, my friend, is why you’re my favorite!”

So keep it up! You’re awesome! And go tell someone else how awesome they are because we all need to hear it…a lot…because it’s easy to forget when you’re wading through the hard stuff (and the regular stuff that’s only kind of hard but still feels heavy).