In Love Anwar: Feeling for One’s Child
Actress and advocate GABRIELLE ANWAR writes on the practice of loving as a parent with heart and soul.
In English there are few words to describe the myriad ways to love. The Romance Languages for example have a plethora of declarations fitting for the individual experience. The uniqueness of love for our children transcends romantic love, though it is indeed romantic. The love we feel for our baby is greater than the love we feel for anyone else, even our own parents. It is of epic proportions. The love we have deep in our DNA for baby is perhaps the greatest love of our life. We would die to save them.
There is unconditional sacrifice, life-long commitment, tireless labor, to name but a few characteristics of this unique love. It is both sensual and chaste, all-consuming and gentle, natural and supernatural. This paradox of conscious parenting is rarely given the exultation it deserves. Nor do we, as parents recognize the entirety of our efforts. Often too exhausted, distracted or unaware, we go about our day simply getting the job done.
Recognize the rare power of love you exchange with your child, there is no better feeling. Acknowledge the utter gravity of you from the perspective of your child. You are a deity in their eyes. A love so strong it need never fade away.
My adult children love like this. We are unabashed, fully committed and deeply respectful to each other. This is not to say we have no misgivings, individuation into maturity demands such. By simply recognizing this impenetrable love that lies deep within the body, mind and spirit, we can conquer all adversarial challenges with little negative impact.
Parenting is a practice and as with most practices the more connected to Source we are the greater our success. Source can mean any place within, where soul connects with you, where you feel your most alive, most in love, most creative, most committed. Redefine love in your own language.
Avoir des étoiles dans les yeux – to have stars in the eyes.
Défendre corps et âme – to defend with body and soul.
Aimer plus que tout au monde – to love more than anything in the word.
Aimer envie de le croquer à pleine dent – to bite him/her.
Fondre d’amour, je fonds d’amour pour mon bébé. – to melt of love for my baby.
Avoir quelqu’un dans la peau – to have someone in your skin/blood.
Born in Berkshire, England, attending the Italia Conti Performing Arts Academy in London, the accomplished Gabrielle Anwar has over 45 film and television performances to her credit in both Europe and the States, including her breakout film Scent of a Woman, where she was whisked off her feet into an acclaimed tango with Al Pacino.
Anwar has taken on the roles of a vast array of characters: from the blind diving horse circus performer in Disney’s biopic Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken to the risqué royal in Showtime’s The Tudors, to the supercilious counterpart to Noah Wyle in TNT’s The Librarian II. And from the fatal object of desire in Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead to the regal Queen Anne in The Three Musketeers. She has also shown her versatility as an expat party girl in BBC’s adaptation of Mortimer’s Summer’s Lease, Gun toting Fiona on the hit show Burn Notice and Wicked Lady Tremaine in ABC’s Once Upon A Time.
On the board of Pikler USA, Anwar speaks frequently on early childhood care and its direct relation to mental health, most recently to congress in Washington D.C. Active in funding and bringing awareness to the life-changing work with the firm belief that educating parents and care-givers on infant interaction prevents future developmental issues, addictions, violence and general teen-adult malaise.
On the board of Young Musicians Unite as Vice Chairman and Gala Chair. YMU affords all strokes of Miami’s socio-economic children the opportunity to be educated in the joy of music.
Supporting an array of animal and childcare charities, Anwar continues to host the southern Florida Make A Wish Ball for her twelfth consecutive year, raising more than $25,000,000 in wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses.
Gabrielle and husband, Shareef Malnik are recently empty nesting with their animal menagerie. Anwar continues her lifelong passion for the written word with her first novel and pilot in development.
Anwar’s directorial debut, Sexology is available on iTunes.
