May The Force of Love Be With You

May the Force of Love Be With You

As my friends send me Star Wars texts wishing that “the 4th be with you,” I find myself thinking,
may the force of love be with me.

In my story, The Sea's Slowest Snail, Sheldon did not fight hatred with more hatred.

I think to myself, how often in my life have I returned hatred with hatred?

I remember being made fun of in 4th and 5th grade. I remember where I was sitting, who said it, and the feeling of heat rising in my face. I would sit there, burning, humiliated, replaying what I should have said. The hatred that lived in my mind and heart felt unbearable.

Years later, when I lost my teaching job, that same feeling returned. The resentment I held toward the principal who let me go consumed me.

My story is loosely based on real live situations. The urchins make fun of Sheldon. They are harsh. They are cruel. The things that they say about him are nice. As I wrote the pages about the urchins, I could feel their energy—the sharpness of it, the weight of it, the vibration of it. They are also the reason he loses his job. And by the time this happens in the story, everyone can see how much he loves his job.

Recently - for fun, I ran parts of the manuscript through ChatGPT, and it suggested softening the tone in the pages that talk about the urchins. It told me that the tone was too harsh. There are things I would change today—but not that. The harshness reflects something real. It creates a contrast so that when love appears at the end of the story, you don’t just read it—you feel the difference.

In the story, hatred is replaced with love and the situation resolves within 34 pages.

In my life, it took over a decade. Maybe two if I'm honest.

But Sheldon shows us something I am still learning:
non-resistance.

He also remains in a place of love.

Today, I know that’s possible.

In my reading this morning, Emmet Fox writes: “If, when someone is behaving badly, you will immediately switch your attention from the human to the divine, and concentrate upon God—or upon the real spiritual self of the person—you will find that his conduct will immediately change. This is true revenge.” Around the Year with Emmet Fox, May 4, 2026 entry.

This is how my story unfolds. It is what I learned to do - it is what Sheldon does.

Sheldon turns his attention to the light within the urchins.
Did you notice their glow at the end?

He saw it all along.

The light in him was always connected to the light in them.

He also turns toward his friends. If you look closely at the illustrations, he is never truly alone—he is surrounded. In my own life, I call these people my “skin Gods”—the ones who reflect love back to me when I forget.

I believe children should know that this way of living is possible. A way rooted in love, regardless of circumstance. Hatred and revenge are not the answers that bring us or the world peace.

That doesn’t mean we sit back and accept harm—but it does mean we let God, or goodness, in before we respond.

I write about what I need to learn. What I need to remember. What I need to keep at the forefront of my mind in a very busy world that often teaches the opposite. I can turn on the news, listen to conversations on the train, engage in everyday small talk. The message of revenge is everywhere.

Today, I am grateful for every painful, hurtful, and hateful experience I’ve had—because each one led me here… to understanding what a life of love can feel like. It's a way that really works for me today.

As you read The Sea’s Slowest Snail to the young ones in your life, share your own stories.

Talk about the times you returned hate with hate…
and the times you returned hate with love.

Let them feel the difference.

Because our stories are our greatest teachers.

And I know there are stories in you, too.

With Love,
Amy