Lessons in Love

I’ve had a love letter in my heart for much of the week. Perhaps it’s the series of events and shifting occurring in my own life at this time as I approach another milestone birthday. A bit of it may be my reflections on my time back in the city of Atlanta and all that has happened over the last 7 years since my relocation.  But I also think it’s the surge of posts and pics I have seen of friends and loved ones celebrating anniversaries, welcoming new additions and even some who are embracing love at new levels for the very first time.

For another set of reasons I have decided against writing my love letter (or at least sharing it via this blog) :-). But I do want to share some of my very special lessons in love. Here we go:

• As much as we may not want to believe or affirm this, we attract what we are. Our wholeness, self-love and sense of purpose attract just that. But likewise, our insecurities, places of brokenness and feelings of being incomplete attract that as well.
• There is never, ever, ever just cause in comparing the insides of our relationships – our shortcomings, areas of improvement, and intimate sharings – to the outside of another’s: what others present to us either intentionally or unintentionally, what we see via social media (especially) or the mere conclusions we’ve drawn about the lives of others.
• While seeking wise counsel is usually helpful and having a circle of friends with whom to share personal details with confidence of them holding such details sacred is most often a blessing, no one can ever tell us exactly how to live our lives.  We have to live with the results of our actions and we live with them minute by minute, day by day. Therefore, the counsel of our hearts (where I truly believe that God plants messages) is the ultimate decider, not the advice of others.
• When in doubt, remember what was happening at the beginning of the journey. What was shared? What was honored? What was special? What was sacred?  There can be value found in starting back at one …
• No amount of love can ever complete another and fulfill the soul searching that one must do to find their life’s work. I truly believe that the healthiest relationships are found between two people who have thriving lives of their own. Perhaps some of their endeavors meet and are done together, but some may not. A relationship is not a space to dump all of our wanderings about life or attempt to force another to fulfill our longings for purpose.
• There is nothing in the world more beautiful, nothing more profound, nothing more special than loving another and knowing without a doubt that they love you back and that this love is expressed in ways in which we welcome, honor and accept them.
• As we’ve heard so many times, “If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.”

Some of the lessons I’ve learned have warmed my heart, while others have nearly torn it apart. Nonetheless, I am thankful for all that I’ve learned and those who share in my growth. Wishing you lots of love, happiness and joy!

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D ADD?