I would like to thank Carie Johnsen for her beautiful column, “In a world filled with hate, why do some fear love?” (May 21) inviting us all to support and love all our neighbors regardless of their sexual orientation.

Her column brought tears to my eyes when she reminded me of our own ritual of tucking in our children in a loving fashion each night.

This is the time when parents often express the gratitude of the day. It’s the time when parents share the beliefs and values of kindness, honesty and love. It is the time when we all reassure our children that they are children of God, no matter what the color of their skin, the disability they may own or their sexual orientation. It is the time when only goodness and light surround them as they fade away for the night’s rest.

As parents, we can teach tolerance and unwavering respect and love for our neighbors. The nightly ritual of tucking our children into bed can be a time to teach confidence and strength through love and loving acts. Sleep follows loving lessons of acceptance, kindness and positive affirmations.

Hate and fear can disturb one’s sleep and shatter the confidence that our little ones need to give back to the community we all work so hard to support.

I applaud all the parents of our communities who use their evening time with family to model acceptance, love and kindness.

Our children need the parental guidance of a nightly routine of being tucked into bed with a message aimed at their hearts, a message of reaching for equality and acceptance of everyone

Love will prevail.

Linda LaRue Keniston

Readfield

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