Our Special Light

Notes from Nono

In this edition of Notes from Nono I wanted to introduce an important topic for kids of all ages - the very young to teenagers, but also for all of us who were of course once kids ourselves. It’s a topic that so many of us struggle with in our lives: finding out who we really are.

Before I do that, I wanted to take just a minute to help those of you who are new with us get a better feel of what we are trying to accomplish here.

Notes from Nono is one of the three sections of the Light Passers Newsletter, created using the Substack platform; the other two sections are the Weekly Light (essays on light and life), and Shorts (brief posts on interesting, related topics).

Notes from Nono was conceived to be a way to convey important topics to young kids…in the form of letters from a grandfather (nonno in Italian) to his grandchildren…or to grandchildren in general, but with the belief that we all can learn from these simple messages, too.

We are in the very early stages of all this, so we thank you for your patience. We want people to feel not only a part of the newsletter, but to also help us hone our messaging and grow this wonderful and powerful community. We can all make a difference.

We hope you will read these letters to your own children and grandchildren, or others, and we would love for you to make comments and suggestions. To this end we will be opening up the chat capability for you to more easily connect with us for all sections of the newsletter, as well as opening the “notes” part of Substack that allows you to post your own suggestions and communicate directly with other followers. We hope to have that completed in about a week.

Thank you for your precious time…Bruce

Today’s Post

Your Special Light

We collect messages in our lives which become a movie reel we play over and over again in our minds. What that actually does is create a false story of who we really are. The messages come from parents, siblings, teachers, coaches, friends, the media, or even those passed down through generations within our culture.

This movie loop overwhelms our thoughts and keeps our real light from breaking through. It’s even worse today than when I grew up – thanks to social media, our attachment to phones, and the programmed lives we set for ourselves and our children. It can be stifling - even suffocating…to the point where we have no idea who we are; our true self remains buried deep under these layers.

I received a letter from a boy, I’ll call him Mason for the purpose of this post. His mother had read to him a prior Nono post about our cherished family dog, Lola, who had passed away recently. Mason is 5 (turning 6 this month). In his own way he expressed his sadness for Lola (full of misspellings and humorously slanted lines). H shared his wish that Lola would be happy in “hevin.”

I bring this up because Mason reminded me of myself as a child. His mom had mentioned that he was an extremely sensitive boy having a big problem with impulse control…and very likely struggling with some form of ADHD and bouts of anger. I think so many of us truly struggle in our lives because we begin to see ourselves as “different”, in a way that makes us feel “lesser.” So sometimes we lash out in our own defense…or withdraw completely.

I now see this as simply trying to find our place in the world: who we are. No two of us are the same, yet it’s these very differences that drive creativity, help us share joy, support us in times of sorrow, and simply make the world a better place. Mason is special, like all other children… and you and me. We all have unique gifts, talents, appearances, knowledge, and experiences that differentiate us from one another…that make us all special.

The concept of finding our light and sharing it with others is what Notes for Nono is based on.

Here is the short letter I sent back to Mason…

Dear Mason:
	
I was so excited to get your letter. It made me feel better to know that other people feel the same way as me about missing Lola. She was very special. 

You are special, too. You have a very bright light in you that others can see when you share your feelings with them, and are kind to them. That is a superpower, Mason: to show others your light and let them know you see their light, too.

Always keep this superpower close to your heart, but never be afraid to share it. 
Thank you Mason. 

We love you...Nono

A final note to everyone:

Disabilities of all kinds can become superpowers as well, because they remind us of how fragile life is, and how important each of our contributions is. They connect us. And our very young friends with disabilities often understand this early in life…because they intuitively know something that it may take us a lifetime to figure out: we are all gifted with a special light.

Here are two things for you today that can help pass the light…

1. Participate in helping kids by purchasing a special “Tee” available at the Light Passers Marketplace (25% off), in honor of Mary Jackson’s contribution to the lives of children everywhere (see below):

“Use your powers to shine your light for others”

2. Listen to Mary Jackson, who I had the fortunate opportunity to meet just recently. She is an author of children’s books, mother of three, advocate for kids with disabilities and special needs, and international radio show host.