Hey y’all, welcome to More Lovin, the podcast that brings more laughter, light, and love into everyday life. I’m your host LeAnn Austin, and together we’ll rediscover the beauty of connection to your body, your mind, your spirit, and the people you love.
Today’s episode #204: Let Your Light So Shine with Candace Matson
I love observing and connecting with people who bring more love into their lives and their relationships. It’s so inspiring to see how each person does it in their own way.
We have the incredible Candace sharing some beautiful love and relationship insights with us today. All right Candace, tell us a little bit about you.
Well, I appreciate you asking me to share. I’m not a social person, so I don’t know if this is gonna come off like it should be, but I live here in Sharpsburg, Georgia. I’m a school teacher. I’m the art teacher, and I teach 12 & 13 year olds, who sometimes are crazy, but we try to get along and I guess it’s worked so far. I’ve been doing it for almost 20 years.
So I have seven children, 15 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren that all live around nearby. So we have fun when we get together.
I love it. And you are amazing. So I’m just so grateful you’re here to share your wisdom and your insights. Thank you Candace. All right, so tell us, how do you bring more love into your life and your work, and how has that impacted your relationships?
You know, especially teaching the students that I teach, I try to bring that in a lot. We’re a Title One school and I’m always letting them know, I actually have a classroom mantra that I say with them: I trust you. I care about you. And to let them know that I am concerned and I do love them.
And I think they appreciate that, although sometimes they don’t act like they do. And then if I discipline them, I’m always saying, you know, I really like you, or I really love you. Especially if I’m getting on them all the time, and they’ll just look at me. But I’ll put my hand on their shoulder and say, you know, I really like you. Just to let them know I’m coming down hard, but I really do care about them. So that’s how I bring loving in the, in the classroom or in my work.
And in outside relationships, like with neighbors and people in the neighborhood, I’m trying to find different ways to connect with them. I try to be helpful. Of course we try to do that. And I’m so surprised by other people around that do so much of that. I mean, I had a lady at school, we were talking about something and she just said, well let’s pray and have a prayer. And this was in the lunchroom cafeteria. And so we just bowed our heads and she said a prayer.
So that really impressed me, because those connections we’re making and making you feel loved and cared for, you know. So yeah, and there’s a lot of that going on I find in the world today.
I love that. And you’re so, you do such a great job at that. I love that you’re doing that with your kids, at school and everything, really helping them know that you, you know, even saying, I really like you. I really love you. That’s beautiful. I love it.
So tell us, what is something you would love about you and why? Well, I’ve thought about this for a while and came up with a few things. I think my resiliency, and we think when you think of resiliency, I’ve had a lot of trauma in my life, and you think people who have trauma are resilient, but I’m not being resilient because of the traumas, but the Lord is helping me accept these things. Because I know who I am, where I came from, where I’m going.
So the truth that I know fortify me, and I can have that resiliency when things happen. And I don’t get angry about it. I don’t blame it on anybody. I can forgive someone for anything. And that has really been a blessing to me to be able to have grown to the point that I can do that. And I know, I mean, it’s not something that you just hurry and rush into. It’s a life worth living and things that happen, because we all go through things.
Well, this is really tender to me Candace, because you’ve been through things that are unimaginable that a lot of people don’t. You know, it’s just amazing how resilient you are and how beautifully you’ve handled so many difficult things. That is such an example to me, and I know countless others of love and compassion, and I love how you said that. Forgiveness and understanding and just the truth of knowing who you are and relying on the Lord that is so beautiful.
And that makes you just so, ah, I just wanna hug you. Yeah, I love it. Well, and if we can accept that, and know why we’re going through that too, that makes us realize you can handle it. You know, if I know it’s for my growth and to be an example to others. I’ve always prayed, let my light so shine, and so that’s what’s happening or how things have happened.
But yeah, it’s been good for me and for others. I hope for it a hundred percent. A million percent has. And I love that: Let my light so shine because you definitely have a shining light around you. So I love that you recognize that and share that. Thank you.
So tell me, when you think about connection with others and with yourself, what comes to mind? Well, you know, I’ve been trying to look more for connections. I’m sort of an introvert. I moved every two years of my life. My dad was in the service, so I had to go to new schools. I was not an extrovert, so I sort of lean toward the kids that were, you know, by theirselves. So I’m trying to reach out now and make different connections. So it’s been hard for me.
But I pray about it a lot, and I ask what I can do, go see, or whatever in people’s minds. Names come to my mind and I’ll go visit or do something for them. So I’m noticing more how other people connect too, like the lady saying the prayer or somebody bringing something over or saying something to you. It comes in all different, you know, ways and fashions. But I’m looking more and trying to make more connections.
I love that you’re so aware of that and making the effort to do it, especially when we’re, you know, a little hesitant, we’re introverted to do that. Making the effort to do it and looking at other people, that’s beautiful. I love that. So, anything else you wanna share with us?
I don’t really know. If I could give any advice, it’d be, someone loves you and you’re always loved by others, and we have a creator that loves us and he’s watching over us. And if we just can really internalize that and know that he knows us, and he knows what’s going on, and it’s for our growth. It is to help us grow and to help others around us, and we can accept those things. And sometimes it’s very humbling.
I had an experience this Sunday. I was reading some things and talks and about people that have gone through some really hard things, because of the consequences of their actions. But I was so heavy burdened of my actions too, that I’ve done and that I haven’t, you know, been so proud of. And it was just this terrible, overwhelming sadness to my soul. You know, I have had things like that before, but this was really deep and I was so appreciative to know that our Lord and Savior, and the atonement is what’s saving us.
So if you are not in touch with that, it would be worth looking at because that is really something that will help you. A hundred percent, Jesus, the atonement, the whatever people choose to believe in having that higher power. Absolutely. I love that you shared that, thank you.
So what’s your favorite question or quote about love and how has it shaped your life and relationships? Well, all this I’m talking about, it’s the two greatest commandments that there are. I was the person that, like I said, moved all around. Had friends here and there. Made a lot of poor choices and did things. So when I really got in touch with my spiritual side and learned the truth about God and who he is and what’s going on, I was able to grow in that area and it helped me. Kept me on a straight path. So it’s built me up and fortified me and I just relate it all, to Christ and what he’s done for me.
And I wanna be able to be an example to others so they can see too. I remember when I had my two children die in a car accident and, I was reading through the newspaper and there was a war going on in some country and there was a mother there with all five of her children laid out in front of her.
So, you know, things happen to all of us and makes you bringing into perspective like, you know, I had two, she had five children that were taken from her. So it’s just keeping them in touch and realizing the truth that we have and that we can get in touch with. Oh, I can’t even imagine how difficult that must be. And thank you for sharing that with us. The two great commandments. Hmm, something to think about.
Well thank you Candace, for sharing your light, your love, everything with us today. I so appreciate you. Well, I appreciate you asking me, do you know what the two greatest commandments are? Yes. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and love. And love others as yourself. Yes.
And I think in the world that might be the hardest thing for people is loving your neighbors. And connecting with your neighbors, and not just those that live near, but anyone. I love that you emphasized that and just reminded us too, like you mentioned before, connecting with the people around us and making the effort to do that, even when they may think completely different things than we do. Yeah, that’s true. That is beautiful. Well, thank you again. I so appreciate you.
And here’s to truth, resilience, connection, and More Lovin. Have a good one y’all.
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Until next time, keep choosing fun, connection, and a whole lot More Lovin. Have a good one y’all.