Educators are modern day superheroes! As parents, we give our most precious asset, our children, to these individuals and ask them to help shape and mold them into the human beings they will become. There is no more important job on this planet. Every day should be a celebration of the essential role teachers play in the lives of our children to guide them on their path to flourishing. Teachers, we salute you, especially during Teacher Appreciation Week , May 2-6. We celebrated educators,...

For the first time in our lives, we are all out of our comfort zones. With COVID, the war in the Ukraine, continued polarization within our own communities and nation, the rise in violence and crime, and continued worry about our health, well-being, and even safety, every person is feeling the negative effects. This stress is commingled with our workplace issues to the point where there is seemingly little room for relief! It is a double-edged sword – for some, working from home has meant...

February is a special month – it’s Choose Love Awareness Month! It’s time to celebrate love and focus on our ability to choose love in our lives! For 28 days the Choose Love Movement shares daily action tips on ways you can bring more ‘Nurturing Healing Love’ to yourself and others all month long and beyond. We also share how you can live a Choose Love lifestyle by incorporating the Choose Love Formula into your daily life: Courage + Gratitude + Forgiveness + Compassion-in-Action = Choosing...

When I was in elementary school my four-year-old niece died of leukemia. My aunt said that for years after her daughter’s death, she couldn’t see color, everything was black and white. That impacted me deeply and I often thought about that when Jesse died and wondered when it would happen to me. However, I had the opposite experience. Everything became brighter, more vivid. I saw colors I never knew existed. This is interesting because I’m an oil painter and this craft has made me even more...

As we step into the holiday season, let’s commit to each other to do it wholeheartedly. What does this mean? Often our minds are off and running and it’s only when we bring ourselves back to the present moment that we experience life as it’s really happening. This is when we realize that what is important is right in front of us! This is the point when our minds and our hearts connect. When we live from a heart-centered place it fosters equanimity and peace within that extends outward,...

November is a month of Thanksgiving and it’s a time to literally “give thanks” for the bounty in our life. We rejoice in the major highlights but in reality it’s the little micro-moments of joy that give us the strength to carry on. These precious, seemingly insignificant moments can be stored as a resource for us to draw on when times are tough. Life isn’t easy, and this is true for all of us. The immutable value we focus on in the Choose Love Movement is love, but there is another one that...

Aristotle believed, "Courage was the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible." The need for courage is paramount in today's new world. While some wish to return to 'normal' I believe it’s a time to take advantage of being out of our collective comfort zone and embrace our growth as individuals and as a society. Change takes courage and it is no coincidence that this is our first character value in the formula for Choosing Love! As American poet laureate and legend Maya...

It’s back-to-school time and I am so happy to see all the teachers and students back in their classrooms doing what they do best: teaching, learning, and choosing love! September kicked off the start of the school year and thankfully I’ve been able to travel, in person, to visit schools in seven states around the U.S. who are using the Choose Love For Schools program, and to also virtually check in with many more. It made my heart happy to see all those classrooms bustling with activity.

As humans, we have a basic, primal need to belong. Belonging is defined as ‘the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group . It is when an individual can bring their authentic self to others, including friendships, family and work.’ Feeling disconnected, unimportant, or not cared about can translate into feelings of loneliness. This has led to much of the suffering our society is experiencing today. Cigna...

Co-authored by Leanne McEvoy, a mother of two and advocate for children's mental health and well-being who is passionate about making sure kids have solid emotional foundations to navigate life. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work with a concentration in children and families and has advocated for improved policy and legislation around school safety. This is a true story shared with me but something similar might be unfolding near you as well. Recently, a ten year old boy’s...

I had a good life prior to December 14, 2012, the day of the Sandy Hook tragedy that took my six-year-old son Jesse's life. I was a single mom with a full-time job, a first and seventh grader, living on a horse farm with a wonderful mother/grandmother living nearby to help, and a supportive extended family. Always on the go, I woke up early, went to bed late, and would list the day’s accomplishments in my head each night. When I woke in the morning I would thank God for another opportunity...

What is Possible? By Scarlett Lewis I love reading stories about victory! It seems we all have had something in our lives to overcome, to some degree, and learning and growing from the struggle can benefit others. Courage and perseverance are two of the most powerful ways that can be taught to get through and grow from difficulties, and sometimes the best way is by example. However, one thing is for certain -- we need each other. It has been fascinating to me to witness how we rise to the...

By March, I sometimes feel as if I am marching through winter. It has been cold long enough that the novelty of snow boots and mittens has worn off. Sledding, skiing, and skating have been fun but navigating the ice from the house to the barn for my daily farm chores gets wearing. March marks one long year of quarantining and social distancing, and it’s still an altered way of life we are required to continue. I noticed, however, that the purple and yellow crocuses have already bloomed in my...

Scarlett, JT, and Jesse

As we are all living under the mandate of social distancing we find almost everyone struggling with the ethos of our current stressful environment. As human beings, we were created to connect with one another. Our brains have mirror neurons that help us socialize and communicate by reading the expressions of others. The famous evolutionist Charles Darwin concluded that it would be those who were most ‘sympathetic’ to each other, in other words generous, altruistic, and compassionate, that...

My dear friend, Linda, is currently recovering from her second heart transplant due to congenital heart failure. This time she received a kidney, as well. We have been friends for decades and I have learned tremendous life lessons from her as I watched her face death many times. I’ve translated this wisdom to my own life and it has helped me move through the murder of my young son in his first grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I also use what I’ve learned to effectively manage...

This month many of us are heading into a holiday season whether it be Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or another notable day. It is traditionally a time when we get together with family and friends, open our hearts, and put our absolute best foot forward in hospitality and grace. The pandemic has changed the physicality of our lives but not the meaning and intention that lies beneath this very special season. The origin of the word season comes from the Latin word ‘satio’, meaning ‘sowing’ and...

Join us for 30 Days of Gratitude -- Text ChooseGratitude to 41444

The magnificent fall foliage displayed during the month of October reminds me of transition and forward momentum. Ideally, as humans, we grow and change along with the seasons to find meaning and purpose in life and flourish. Unfortunately, the progression of our lives isn't always smooth and people aren't always kind. There are essential life skills that we can learn, however, that can help us grow through struggle and choose love in our thoughtful responses. We have had varied reactions to...

Bad things happen to good people. I know. My six-year-old son was murdered by a former student in his first grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School alongside 19 of his classmates and six educators. We read about those who die in countless natural disasters all over the world. Thousands of good people perished in the 9/11 attacks. The media shares headlines of brutality and destruction on a daily basis. The labeling of good versus evil has helped us to categorize unspeakable horror in...

Fall is traditionally a time of transition. As we watch the leaves on the trees change color we find that transformation is all around us. We continue to struggle with the effects of a global pandemic while educators and students begin a new school year, and an important election looms. We have all been forced outside our comfort zone by current events, but the silver lining is that we have moved into a place of growth, personally and also in the world. Today, we have a tremendous...

The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement ™ launched a free social-emotional wellness program to support educators and students as they navigate the start of the 2020/21 school year. This special reentry unit, “Choosing Love in Our Brave New World,” is designed to help transition students back to class or to support them during distance learning. The Choose Love Movement honors six-year-old Jesse Lewis who was killed in the Sandy Hook, CT elementary school tragedy. “Choosing Love in Our Brave New...

August is National Wellness Month. This takes on a new significance with the presence of COVID-19, determining what this school year will look like and many of the other firsts we are facing. We, especially teachers, often operate at breakneck speed and do for others, at the detriment of our own wellness, but this fall, let’s take care of ourselves first and focus on self-care to enable us to be present for those we love, strengthen our immune system, and give ourselves a greater capacity...

By Scarlett Lewis Pamela Brown contributed to this article. Ah, the joy of being at home. Now that most of my in-person speaking engagements and events have been canceled, I have been sheltering-in-place at my farm along with all my animals, including three dogs, a horse, a donkey, a mini horse, and lots of chickens. I love visiting schools and speaking to others in a public forum, but until I can go out on the road again (and I’m positive it will happen in the near future!) I've been...

After I endured a life-changing personal tragedy -- losing my six-year-old son in the Sandy Hook School tragedy -- I founded the nonprofit Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement to address mental health issues and help others find strength and positivity in life. Through Choose Love, I provide a solution that will take children from whatever level of personal development they are in and provide them with the skills, tools, and awareness they need to advance so they can connect with each other;...