Love makes us real    Love makes us real  I have just re-read
one of my favourite children’s stories – The Velveteen Rabbit,
by Margery Williams. Through chronicling the adventures of a
young boy’s toy rabbit, the story describes how love makes us
real.  It’s an inspiring and heart-opening story that has got me
thinking about love both at work and in life… For example, what
is required of us to love an organisation to life, so that the
brand becomes truly real for staff and customers? I suspect The
Velveteen Rabbit can shed some light on this question. And also,
what is a “real” relationship anyway?  How often do we discover
that rather than providing a loving presence, we have hidden
agendas for people we love to meet our needs, to change, or to
provide something we believe we lack? How often do we note that
our own fears, prejudices and insecurities stand in the way of
our spontaneity, whole-heartedness and authentic connection with
others? How often do we see that rather than love setting us
free, we can’t