I remember the phone rang…we were all laughing and so relieved as we had just come from the hospital and witnessed my mother-in-law recover from a successful heart surgery. We were at my friend’s house in Fargo…she answered the phone, Bonnie it’s for you, it’s your sister. When I answered I heard something that numbed my whole body…I slid down the wall and tears started to flow. “Mom has Stage 4 Lung cancer Bonnie and the doctor has given her about one month to live.”
I woke up this morning with that story in my head and knew the message was what I needed to pass on.
Some of you have already had this lesson and I hope it has changed the way you live your life. As I lay in bed this morning I thought about how petty we can be and how it keeps us from loving everyone with our whole heart. Not just loving them but showing them as often as we can!
What if you get that phone call today about your mom, dad, sister, brother, niece, nephew, grandpa, grandma, granddaughter, grandson, uncle, aunt, cousin, neighbor, someone at work, the grocery clerk, the bagger, the mailman…anyone in your life? Would it change the way you treated them today?
It all starts with you…not the other person! This newsletter is not about creating guilt & shame or anything like that…it’s about allowing ourselves to live life with an open heart not a selective heart.
We are all given the gift of love and the ability to love the day we were born. It is free! The most awesome thing about it is the more love you give the more you receive…it continually grows. If you hold it back (for whatever reason you decide is valid) you not only hurt others, you hurt yourself! Is there someone in your life right now that you are holding back your love? Take the reason, your story, and write it down on a piece of paper. Why are you with holding love? Write it all out and then read it. Is it a story you want to hold on to? Is it worth keeping that person out of your life?
My mom did live a little over 4 weeks and I am grateful we had a life of love and respect for each other. Those four weeks I didn’t have to ask for forgiveness or say I was sorry for anything. I was able to treasure each moment she had left and know how wonderful our 34 years of making memories were. I still can talk for hours about those memories and the love I still hold in my heart for her.
I don’t know if I touched a tender spot in your heart today or not but if you are not fully giving of your love to all you know, I would ask you to take the time to rethink how that could change for you. What would it take? We never know how long we have each other! You can literally love someone through anything…it’s the greatest weapon in your arsenal!
P.S. Here’s your homework…who will you start with?
If you are struggling with moving in the direction of love for someone and want to talk, please email me atbonnie@bonniekutter.com and we will set up a time to talk.