Working from love

We're thinking about love right now.

We've been working on articulating our core values, which we are looking forward to sharing in our next newsletter and posting soon on this blog. One of them includes the phrase "Our guiding principle is love." Part of what this means to us is that we always ask ourselves and encourage our clients to ask, "How can we approach this with love?" Whatever the particulars, no matter how challenging a situation feels, we believe (and we know from experience) that approaching and entering an encounter, a classroom, a meeting with love will always make a difference. Read the book All About Love by bell hooks. See what you think. Let us know.

One of the new resources in our big resource list (updated monthly and posted here on our blog) is Amber O'Neal Johnston's Heritage Mom website and one reason it speaks to us is love. In her brilliant post Black History Books Covering Colonial America and Revolutionary War Time Period (1650-1800 AD), she says: "Please (PLEASE!) do not let these books be the only things your children read about Black people for the entire school year. This time in American history is bleak and tough to process. Children do not need to walk away feeling like Black = Enslaved = The End. Balance this heavy history with some fun picture books or intriguing novels featuring Black characters. Consider funny or adventurous read-alouds, or put together a basket of silent reading books or free reads with contemporary titles showcasing Black kids and families in all kinds of everyday scenarios."  Amber speaks from love: love for children, love for truth, love for joy and resilience, and love for Black people.

We hope some of you will write and tell us about what you are doing for Black History Month. Take a look at what our client Philly Waldorf shared recently on their blog. Can you feel the love they are generating, for books, for culture, for learning, for sharing stories? 

We are looking forward to being together on an Alma Partners retreat this coming weekend. We'll be together for about four days: planning, imagining, talking, eating, laughing. One of the best aspects of being a member of Alma Partners is the love. Even though we live spread across the US and one of us is in Canada, we meet monthly as a group, facilitate together in various combinations often, and talk all the time. We cheer each other on, listen to each other, and really care about and for one another. We all feel lucky to get to work together, and with you.

Connect with us through our website, on Instagram, or drop us a line. We'll share some news about upcoming public courses next month.

Love,
Alma Partners
connect@almapartners.net