Accepting Love

I am the type of person that has a hard time accepting the love that others willingly give me. I was having a conversation with a dear friend about this topic yesterday, and remembered a story where I was so closed and not able to accept love.

My grandmother had just passed away and I needed to be flown home for the funeral. The ticket was over $500 and I could not afford to buy the ticket. Without knowing, my uncle purhcased the ticket for me because that was his way of showing his love for me, and for our family. When I found out about the gesture, I immediately broke down and cried all the tears I had. I had just lost my grandmother, and her oldest son took it upon himself, in his time of grieving, to help me. I remember saying that I didn't understand why he would do that and the feeling that I did not know how to thank him, or feel, or say or what to do completely washed over me. Not until the conversation I had yesterday did I realize that those feelings were my in ability to accept love.

Now I think that I have gotten better at accepting the love others show me, but I still catch myself having a hard time with this concept. My mother once told me, and boy is she a great mom to have, that God puts people in our lives for a reason. That reason might be to love us and that is the job God has given them. Our job is to be willing and able to accept that love, and see that love for what it is, a true gift...from God.

I found these 10 steps, and they might be slightly cheesy but I thought they would pertain to many people, and so I wanted to include them.

Keep on lovin, and lovin...it is a gift, but remember to take in all the love you receive in return, that is the greatest thank you, you can give back.

How to Accept Love

Step 1
Recognize your power. You could have every person in the world showering you with love every day, but if you do not recognize it, accept it and absorb it into your being, that love might as well not exist.

Step 2
Be brave. It is scary to accept love. Why? I’m not sure. Maybe because new love always resurrects heartbreaks and disappointments of the past. Maybe because love makes us feel out of control. When we are offered love, we feel guilty, unworthy, scared. Accepting love fully is no small feat, so prepare yourself and vow to be brave.

Step 3
Soften yourself. Literally. You cannot accept love if you are holding your body tightly. Let your muscles relax and your heart--which is a muscle too, remember--will be ready to accept love that comes your way.

Step 4
Recognize it. Love is given in many forms: words, actions, touch. How do the people in your life show love to you?

Step 5
Believe. If they say that they love you, they do. If they act as though they love you, they do. Always assume that your loved ones do love you that much and even more. Don’t go looking for reasons to “prove” that you are unlovable.

Step 6
Absorb it. When love is given to you, you don’t need to respond or reciprocate immediately. Instead take time to let the love soak in before taking action. If you move too quickly, the impact of the loving act will likely be dampened. If you feel the need to respond, a simple “thank you” is perfect.

Step 7
Don’t self-deprecate. Self-deprecating has its place for sure, but not when somebody is offering genuine love. When given a compliment, don’t dismiss it with statements like, “No. That’s not true. I’m actually really stupid/ugly/boring.”

Step 8
Keep the past in the past. Just because you have been hurt, rejected and let down by love in the past--and we all have--doesn’t make you unlovable. Approach each new loving encounter as if it is your first.

Step 9
Be open to love in all its forms. Love doesn’t always mean that you will be together forever until death. Sometimes it can be as simple as a smile from a stranger as you pass on the street. How much love can you see in your life today?

Step 10
Last, but definitely not least, remember that by accepting the love that is given to you, you are not only doing something good for yourself, but you are giving a gift to the person who offered the love to you. The only thing better than getting love from somebody, is watching somebody receive and delight in the love you give back.

Hope in the Future

I am graduating in three weeks, and have so much hope for what awaits me as I begin a new phase of my life.

The last four and a half years have been some of the best (and worse...cuz lets face it..its life) moments I could have ever asked for. The friends I have met, the trips I have taken, the laughs, the jokes, the drinks and parties, the tears and pain, the late hours, the work...the memories. Every part of the last four years has helped shape the person I have become and the person I strive to be.

As I look toward the future I cannot wait to find my path and the role that hope plays. I know that my future holds many different challenges and opportunities. Right now I am focused on this next part of my future and what it will bring to my life. Moving on from college, means unknowns and new memories, new friends, new possibilities, and that I am so utterly excited for.

So, I HAVE HOPE, hope in my future, hope that the struggles will be few, hope in the possibilities and hope in myself.

Theses lyrics speak to the power in having HOPE

I find hope and it gives me rest
I find hope in a beating chest
I find hope in what eyes don't see
I find hope in your hate for me
Have no fear when the waters rise
We can conquer this great divide

-Great Divide, Hanson

1 Corinthians 13:13

The Greatest of these is Love....

This bible verse really makes things quite complicated. Love...the greatest is love. Doesn't Love always seem the hardest. Love for me is definately the hardest. I think that understanding what Love really means is so complex that at this time in my life, I am not quite able to comprehend its full meaning.

Do not get me wrong. I dearly love my family, and close friends, but I do believe the implications of this word LOVE stretches so much further than the love I claim to have for these people. How can we show others love, how can we live love in our daily lives so those we come in concact with can feel our Love radiating from our very being.

What can you do to show the capacity of your LOVE?
How can we encourage others to a life of Love and service? What does that four letter, beautifully simple word mean for you?

For me, this word means vulnerability to those I choose to spend my time with, for those I choose to Love. This means a smile, a kind act, an open heart. Taking time to make a phone call to a grandparent, or elderly friend. For me Love is also being open to being loved in return. I have found that it is so much easier to love than to be loved...why is that?

Love, songs have been written about it, people have died for it, a holiday was created to surround it. The question is, how will YOU use this feeling, this action, this word to make a difference?

How do YOU love?

A little history

Faith, Hope and Love are three simple words that have so many implications. For those of you that know me, I wear a ring with these words on it daily. I am not sure why these words have such meaning for my life but they really do. I want to share that meaning, both good and bad, to bring light to an idea, an aspiration, to express the reasons for JOY.

When you think about each word by itself, what comes to mind? What does it mean to have faith? What does hope accomplish? How can we see love? I hope to uncover the meaning and possibilities that accompany each of these simple words, words that guide my daily life.

If you can see the meaning in these words, please share it with someone who will be touched. I hope to reach one heart or one mind, to shed light on something greater than ourselves.

I hope you come along for the discoveries!