Holding them in my hands, keeping them safe, these tiny persons had no one else – no other hero. If I couldn’t help them, there was no hope.
I shared two stories about my childhood that both seemed like hate. One was emotion – the other…
Love is not a feeling. It has never been a feeling.
Love is the will to pursue another person’s interest and a decisive intention to help them be a better person. We can meet needs without love. We can feel deeply for someone without love. But without love, no matter the feeling or service, we are really only hating.
Ridicule and shame are some of the molecules that comprise hate. Indifference and apathy, dismissiveness, and mocking… all of these things disregard the dignity of others. While we all experience a lot of hate… oftentimes these experiences help us see true love.
Love that seeks to know us deeply. Love that stays connected even at a cost. Love that truly desires to invest, be intimate, be trusting, be valued…
I know a love like this.
I also know hate.
I choose to frame my life and those in my life through a lens of love and to see them as they love me, even when it doesn’t fit me or my needs at the time.
What love do you know?
I have many stories like this. I’m glad that they’ve taught me to love well and to live well.
To love is to live and learn. A will to know, discern. Moves from the soul, without harm or control, love stands ready and firm.
We can’t define love perfectly, but we can represent it. We can always do it… when we find hate inside, we can love instead. This is good.
This is living.
I help people navigate these emotions and experiences. Let me know if you want to talk.