Doing Love

Love is more than an emotion: it is a conscious decision to accept, trust, protect, defend and support the heart of another. There is no deeper bond between us, and there is no greater gift a mortal can offer.

Mother Teresa considered herself to be a pen in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world. She dedicated her life to changing the world one heart at a time by offering hope and kindness to the castoffs of society.

Mother Teresa lived her faith everyday and did not spend her life talking about love. She spent her days doing love.

I dislike our culture's tendency to worship celebrities, and I consider everyone to be equally worthy in all matters...but I admit to having two heroes in my life. The first is my husband for teaching me what it means to be unconditionally loved by another person. The second is Mother Teresa who reminded me that love is our purpose, and our most important reason to exist.

Yes, love is more important than good grades or being popular. It is more essential to life than social success of any kind. I would even venture to say that love is more necessary than air...because without air the body dies. But, without love the soul withers, the heart crumbles and the reason to live fades away.

This is the traditional, though historically inaccurate, time of year when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus. We consider him to be our savior and the one who has reconciled us with our God. We listen to Christmas music and make celebratory plans with friends and family while shopping for that perfect gift. We dedicate so much time to the stuff of Christmas, how much time do we dedicate to the reason for Christmas?

You've heard it all before...I know I'm not saying anything new here. But please take a moment and reflect upon the gift we've received: grace wrapped in love and tied up in perfection. Let us take a moment (or two) and not just talk about love, or sing about it...but let's do love and improve the world one heart at a time. Remind people that they are more important than stuff (giving, receiving, or otherwise).

I wish you love and chocolate my friends...and a very merry Christmas and a New Year filled with more love than your heart can hold. And a little more chocolate for good measure.