LOVE

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love,

and to let it come in.”

~ Morrie Schwartz

Love. So much has been written about this topic, yet when I begin to write about it I find it difficult to begin. “Love” is full of deep meaning and without it, what does have meaning? There are many types of love and I am deeply grateful to be experiencing much of it in my life. When I found out that Lori (Lori Franklin @ janebenimble.com keeper of the RAOKA torch) chose this topic for the month of August, I smiled. I had been led down this path a lot lately, meditating on love, what it means to be loving and how the presence of sincere love will result in action. Isn’t it cool how we’re often guided to what we need, and to what the world needs as well. During the month of August I rediscovered just how amazing real love is and I thought I’d share some of that with you.

Family. Anyone who has known me for more than an hour will soon find out how important and cherished my family is to me. I am blessed to have a very close relationship to my parents and my sister. August was a challenging month as my father dealt with some serious health issues. I am always in awe of the love my parents have for each other. When one is down, the other is right there, doing everything possible to care for the other. When my dad was in the hospital, guess who was there from morning to night (and often through the night) every single day? Yep! Mom is the sweet loving rock my dad leans on. Just as he was for her when she battled cancer a couple years ago. You see, love is both an action and a feeling.

I cannot say enough about my Sister . When we are together we are the comedy relief for the entire family. I’m sure we embarrass other family members on a regular basis. She is always there for mom and dad (and, of course, her own family) and she has always been there for me…even in the dark times. This past month we worked together to ensure our parents were surrounded with love and any help they needed. Together, along with my dear Jenny, we worked in my parents garden when they could not. I tell you this, there may be some things my dad cannot do (although I think he can do anything!), but growing tomatoes is certainly not one of them! I know we picked at least fifteen, five gallon buckets full of tomatoes! And that was only at the end of their season! Geez dad, ya think maybe a few less plants next year? 🙂

I have three, absolutely wonderful Daughters. They are all grown now, which has been quite an adjustment for me, and they are amazing. They are all so very close to one another and behave as best friends, I cannot count the number of times these ladies have done some little thing that showed the love they have for each other, and their family. I wish you all could meet them, and if you did, you’d see what I mean. Yes, I am aware of my bias on this matter, but seriously…they are so awesome!!

My wonderful partner in this life has two Sons who are younger than my girls, and before I go any further I have to say something. Man! Boys are way different than girls. I mean, they break stuff…often. And they are a little wilder too. I’m just glad that my mom didn’t have to deal with all of that stuff when I was a kid (…did I hear you laughing??) On a more serious note, these two boys are really great. They are very intelligent and a blast to be around. I am blessed to have them in my life and to have their love, and they have mine. I know we sometimes drive Jenny nuts with our antics, and the other times she just joins in! We honestly have a great time most all of the time. These two young men, during this past month, have always shown their caring souls by asking how my dad is doing. They always listen to my answers with sincere concern.

Jenny. Wow! I can’t say enough about this amazing woman. The fact that she puts up with me has to count for something! Right?! I have learned so much from this beautiful lady. She is a genuine, bona fide kind person who never shies away from an opportunity to help someone. Even the times when I know it is a major inconvenience for her, she does it anyway. I have had to look inside myself a few times to see if I had this kind of love for my fellow humans. Her example has helped me to grow in this way. As I mentioned, August has been challenging, largely due to concern for my father. Jenny has been right by my side the entire time, often rolling up her sleeves and getting right to work. You see, love is both an action and a feeling. The love Jenny shows me, her boys, my family and my daughters is real. I mean real! Her actions always speak because she walks the talk.

As I said at the beginning of this post, “love” is full of deep meaning. Without “Love”, what has meaning? How has different types of love impacted your life?