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Category: Blog

Shifting the SELF into Regulation

More love is needed in our lives and in this world. It's a word we don't use often enough for ourselves and our children. It is a word that can truly …

Jan Wilmot July 10, 2022

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Why Wouldn’t I Choose Love?

A very dear friend of mine told me about the Jesse Lewis Choose Love organization a few years ago. I did not know what it was, but I thought, “Why…

Jan Wilmot July 2, 2022

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THE STORY BEHIND THE MOVEMENT

Choose Love Movement is inspired by 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, his final acts of love, and his mother’s path of forgiveness after Jesse was killed in a school shooting.

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THE STORY BEHIND THE MOVEMENT

Choose Love Movement is inspired by 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, his final acts of love, and his mother’s path of forgiveness after Jesse was killed in a school shooting.

The Gift of Forgiveness Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt

Scarlett’s chapter, “Healing Love,” shares the story of how she lost her son in a horrific tragedy and was able to overcome the pain and anger and experience healing through forgiveness.

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In this New York-Times bestseller, Scarlett tells her story of how she created a worldwide Movement to Choose Love and encourages everyone to be kind, to be grateful, to forgive, and to uncover the courage we all have within us.

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This powerful best-selling book recounts the captivating life story of Yannick Kabuguza, a Choose Love Ambassador, who endured great pain and tragedy as a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Lavin focuses on the indomitable human spirit and how Yannick forgave those responsible for his disfigurement and the death of his family members and healed himself through gratitude and compassion. The book includes how Lavin established a deep connection with Scarlett and the Choose Love Movement.

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This book helps readers move from their own “dark night of the soul” and into a brighter future. This book plots the path of healing and flourishing in six words: Why bother? Lament. Hope. Lead. Persevere. Jordan shares wit and wisdom gathered from both her own life as an innovation expert to the teachings of great leaders in such diverse locations as Scarlett Lewis in Sandy Hook, Connecticut to the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These leaders were ordinary people until life pushed them to its edge. In their darkest moments, they reached for the further shore.

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This book features a wide selection of stories and insights into Scarlett’s story is featured in Chapter VI, Renew the Face of the Earth: A Call to Love. The stories in this book offer readers a book of wisdom to inspire during hard times and guide them in finding the light in any crisis.

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Alex Woodard weaves his own journey through true stories, including Scarlett’s experience of losing Jesse, as he travels from the congested confines of Southern California to the wide open wild skies of Southern Idaho. Scarlett’s letter to Jesse is included along with songs she and Alex wrote together about the letter.

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chicken-soup-for-the-soul-hope-and-miracles

In the chapter, Jesse in the Sky, Scarlett shares her story of losing her son in the Sandy Hook tragedy. Scarlett’s story is one of 101 true stories of amazing coincidences, answered prayers, awesome charity, and love that show miracles and good happen every day, giving hope whenever people need it most. This is a book of stories about powerful hope, wondrous connections, divine intervention, and answered prayers.

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chicken-soup-for-the-soul-touched-by-an-angel

Scarlett’s story is one of 101 miraculous stories featured in this book that shares real people’s stories about their incredible, personal angel experiences of faith, divine intervention, and answered prayers. The stories reflect on hope, healing, and help from angels.

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In Chapter 6, Growth and Protection, of Bruce Lipton’s 10th anniversary edition of The Biology of Belief, the author shares Scarlett’s story to explain how people can heal through the power of love.

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Dana Liesegang’s riveting memoir details how she was sexually assaulted at age 19, thrown off a cliff and left for dead, and was paralyzed. That didn’t stop her from forgiving her attacker. Dana harnessed her inner resilience to survive and overcome and the power of forgiveness to set her free. In Chapter 21, Forgiveness, Dana shares how Scarlett inspired her to let go of her painful burden by forgiving her attacker and setting forth on a path to healing.

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This book captures the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and views of four men. Men from different backgrounds and circumstances who find themselves connected through their stories; their lives within the prison system. This book is a collective display of their artistry; the canvas for their voices, both separate and united, on their pasts, present and futures. It amplifies and sheds light on the encumbrance their sentences bear on their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and the world around us.

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Courage

Scientifically Proven Benefits

Less anxiety and stress
Less fearful (in the present and future)
Enhanced self-esteem
Improved ability to express oneself and one’s feelings
Increased self-awareness
Willingness to try difficult tasks

Forgiveness

Scientifically Proven Benefits

Healthier relationships and deeper connections
Better emotional self-regulation
Less aggression and anger
Better able to handle personal/social issues that arise
Improved resilience
Improved decision-making skills
Heightened self-management

Gratitude

Scientifically Proven Benefits

Positive attitude towards self and others
Improved attitude about school and learning
Showing appreciation and kindness towards self and others
Increased mindfulness
Ability to see other perspectives and show empathy

Compassion in Action

Scientifically Proven Benefits

Enhanced connections and relationships
Able to respond in a loving manner
More caring and concern shown to others
Improved social skills
Social and Moral Awareness

Forum Description

Jacqueline Simpson- Dunne, Choose Love Advisory Board and Board Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

A very dear friend of mine told me about the Jesse Lewis Choose Love organization a few years ago. I did not know what it was, but I thought, “Why wouldn’t I choose love?” Seems so obvious, right? Unfortunately, many people don’t know what it means to choose love or what character social emotional development (CSED) means.

There are so many reasons why people choose hatred or neglect. I don’t believe people are inherently bad, I believe bad behavior is learned. This becomes generational. Children that grow up in homes where there is abuse, neglect, violence or witness to drugs and alcohol abuse are unable to form healthy attachments. Children cannot express how they feel so act out. They are considered “the bad kid” in school. They are emotionally dysregulated or retreat into avoidance. Without healthy attachments to a parent or caregiver they are unable to build positive and healthy coping skills.

After meeting Scarlett Lewis and learning more about the Jesse Lewis Choose Love program, I knew this was something I wanted to become a part of. Being an advisor allows me to talk about social emotional needs and how it pertains to children and adolescents’ mental health.

There is no doubt Covid exasperated the mental health crisis.

During the first seven months of lockdown there was a 24% increase in mental-health related ER visits in children ages 12-17.
In 2020 the CDC reported greater than 500 children between ages 10-14 died by suicide and 6,000 between 15-24 years of age.
In one study 69 percent of parents said the pandemic was the worst thing that happened to their child and 67 percent report they wished they’d been more vigilant about their child’s mental health from the beginning.

Social isolation was reported to be the unhealthiest aspect of the pandemic followed by remote learning and too much screen time. Sixty eight percent of parents report they wished they had let their children socialize more because protecting them from the virus caused more stress and mental health consequences.

But something good did result from the pandemic. Parents are more aware of their child’s social and emotional needs. When I first meet with a patient, I get a detailed history from the parents about the development of their child both academically and socially. I then meet with the child to explore how they felt growing up. Do they have friends? Is anyone bullying them at school or over the internet, if they have ever been physically or emotionally abused or witnessed abuse or a traumatic event.

After gathering this information, I can start identifying why the child is behaving the way they are. Children either internalize their symptoms (withdraw, socially isolate) or externalize them by becoming aggressive and disruptive. This is because children do not have the language skills to articulate their feelings. Assessing the social and emotional needs of the family is one of the most important parts of the evaluation.

Educating parents about the importance of meeting their child’s social and emotional needs is key to helping them heal. If the child’s needs are not being met at home there is a higher chance they will not succeed in school, in forming healthy relationships or develop a positive self-esteem.

Treating children as if they exist in a vacuum is no longer tenable. The best way to help a child or adolescent achieve wellness is to help their family become well. This starts with teaching families that CSED allows children and adults to understand their own emotions and the emotions of others, and to use this understanding in their choices and relationships. CSED represents a set of skills our children need to thrive and adapt to life’s challenges.

Jacqueline Simpson- Dunne is a Board Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Through her education, experience and empathic nature, Jackie is uniquely suited to treat children and adolescents with behavioral health conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, post- traumatic stress disorder and mood disorders. Jackie has also worked extensively with children and adolescents with comorbid conditions

Statements of this blog reflect the author's personal opinions and do not represent the views or policies of the Choose Love Movement. They are not viewed as personal medical care, but for the purpose of general knowledge. The reader is strongly encouraged to to speak to his/her own physician or therapist for medical advise.

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