In Part 5 of the Lessons My Mama Taught Me series, I reflect on a powerful truth my mother lived by: being hateful is incompatible with being whole.

The episode opens with a spoken-word poem about the distances we travel to understand one another and how the differences we see on the surface often dissolve when we look more closely. I then share the story of my mother, a white woman raised in a small, religious town, who chose love over prejudice when she married a Black man in the late 1950s and refused to hide her family to satisfy social expectations.

Looking back at her courage feels especially timely given the escalation of racial tensions and violence in the U.S. I also reflect on the words of Frederick Douglass (1845) about the long history of hateful beliefs that are justified under the veil of “Christianity.”

In this episode, we explore:

• how hate limits our ability to live fully,
• how our true values are revealed through the choices we make, and
• how acceptance and compassion create the foundation for a more meaningful life.

At its heart, this episode asks a simple but challenging question: What kind of life can we build if we refuse to let hate take root in our hearts?

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.

Songs in this episode: The Games We Play by Nu Alkemi$t; Some Kind of Wonderful by Nu Alkemi$t; Con Sazón by In This World

Poem: Vellumed Eyes

Related Episodes:

Giving Without Expectation – Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 4) - Episode #67

Take Notice of Little, Beautiful Things — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 3) - Episode #66

Recognize the Good in Others — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 2) – Episode #65

Let People Know You Love Them — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 1) - Episode 64

Journal Prompts:

1. Write about a prejudice that you overcame. What helped you understand it and let it go?

2. How are you accepting people as they are, and how do those feelings of acceptance impact your life in a positive way?

3. How do you define Christian values? Write about the role of accepting others in that definition.

Please subscribe & leave a review if today’s episode made you think about how love and acceptance make you whole. 💜💛

Follow Jill on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillhodgevo/

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

Let the Verse Flow is part of Jill Hodge’s voice actor and audiobook narration work. Learn more at jillhodgevo.com.

What happens when we give without thinking about what we’ll get back?

In this episode, I explore the quiet power of generosity and everyday kindness. How do our small, everyday giving acts shape our identity and strengthen human connection? A smile on a crowded street. Holding the door. Driving a friend home. Doing someone’s laundry when they’re overwhelmed.

These gestures may seem minor, but they ripple outward in powerful ways. In today's episode, we’ll reflect on:

• Giving without keeping score
• Why generosity strengthens self-respect
• How presence and attention are often the greatest gifts
• The surprising ways giving returns to us

Giving isn’t transactional. It’s transformational.

💜Give because someone needs it.
💛Give because connection helps define our humanity.

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.

Songs in this episode: 10X by Ghost Beatz; Some Kind of Wonderful by Nu Alkemi$t; Con Sazón by In This World

Poem: Sweet & Fizzy

Related Episodes:

Take Notice of Little, Beautiful Things — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 3) - Episode #66

Recognize the Good in Others — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 2) – Episode #65

Let People Know You Love Them — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 1) - Episode 64

Mother Teresa on Doing Small Things with Great Love - Episode #48

Journal Prompts:

1. What’s something that another person has given you that had a big impact on your day or life? How did the giving change you?

2. What’s something you’ve given to someone else that had a big impact on their day or life? How did giving change you?

3. What things are easy for you to give, and what things feel difficult? Explore the differences in ways of giving.

Please subscribe & leave a review if today’s episode made you look at your giving in a new light. 💜💛

Follow Jill on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillhodgevo/

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

Let the Verse Flow is part of Jill Hodge’s voice actor and audiobook narration work. Learn more at jillhodgevo.com.

What if one of life’s quiet superpowers is noticing?

What if noticing those things brings you closer to knowing yourself, to connecting with yourself, to cherishing yourself?

Sounds like pretty powerful stuff for a no-cost, simple act, and yet we don’t do it nearly enough.

In this episode, I reflect on the third lesson my mother taught me: take notice of little, beautiful things, especially nature. Through spoken word poetry, memories of my mom, reflections on motherhood, and the wisdom of Mary Oliver, we explore how noticing beauty through our five senses can ground us, soften regret, and reconnect us to purpose.

From ocean water and wild geese to ginger flowers, scallops, and morning birdsong, this episode is an invitation to slow down, savor, and sit with the small moments that quietly save us.

Welcome to my reflections from the bright side of the beat.

If you like the podcast, visit my website: lettheverseflow.com for more inspirational insights and resources, and sign up for Flow & Voice, a free monthly note with short, practical reflections on creativity and personal growth, plus occasional behind-the-scenes glimpses into my audio storytelling journey.

Music: All music for my podcast is sourced and licensed for use via Soundstripe.

Songs in this episode: Midnight Memory by Chelsea McGough; Some Kind of Wonderful by Nu Alkemi$t; Con Sazón by In This World

Poem: A Day of Greening

Resources:

Mary Oliver reading of Wild Geese (On Being Podcast)

Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver (contains poem: When I am Among the Trees)

Related Episodes:

Recognize the Good in Others — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 2) – Episode #65

Let People Know You Love Them — Lessons My Mama Taught Me (Part 1) - Episode 64

Journal Prompts:

1. Take your journal to your favorite park, beach, pasture or creek and write about beautiful, little things that you notice with your five senses.

2. Write a one-page story about the life of a beautiful object, animal or nature scene.

3. Answer this question: What beautiful, little thing do you keep around for comfort? Why?

Please subscribe & leave a review if today’s episode helped you notice little, beautiful things in the natural world. 💜💛

Follow Jill on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillhodgevo/

Prefer to read this episode? Read the complete episode in blog format here: https://www.lettheverseflow.com

Let the Verse Flow is part of Jill Hodge’s voice actor and audiobook narration work. Learn more at jillhodgevo.com.