On Love

This is my darling son, Liam. He's been kept very busy with his piping, having played in two events last week and will be playing in another this week and the week after that.

When I'm with my family, I'm always called to think about the things in this life that truely, truely matter.
My heart has been very sore over the last few days for various reasons. There are few people who I share these matters with and in fact prefer not to, as life, like everything, is transient...and so are the bad days and bad experiences ,and the way we deal with hurts, reacting to that hurt, may hurt us even more in the long run. Knee-jerk reactions to pain and hurts are never a good idea. Instead, quiet prayer and meditation..time to reflect...is not easy sometimes, but a wiser choice.

A little while ago, I was asked "why don't you ever react when people are rude or say or do hurtfull things to you"? Its simple. By reacting in the same way as you've been treated, you are feeding that persons need for conflict.
I was raised in humility, in a strict, Catholic Christian home, and fortunately, my childhood was such, that there was seldom voices raised in anger. Yes there are those who advocate that its best to 'say your mind', and they may have a point, but I believe more in "there's a time to speak and a time to keep quiet". Words can hurt for life, just as much as they can be your life's strength. We have a choice to make..speak out in anger or speak out in love. I choose the latter........ or at least, I try!!!

Of course, I absolutely DO pop my cork with people, my children, service providers..assertion is nessesary. But if you think of it, really, if you saw everyone just simply as 'human' with faults and failings and weaknesses, its so much easier to not get angry when they hurt you.
A friend of mine posted something once, "True love does not come by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly"

Over the last two days, I've asked myself, what de-sensitises someone to a) not take hurtfull behaviour personally and b) to be totally, seemingly oblivious, to hurting others. I really dont know and if its the one thing that I never want to happen to me, is be so effected by my own hurts and pain, that I fail to see it in others. Hmmmmmm, the University of Life has some work yet!!!!

Happinesss is something you choose. It doesn't matter what life throws at you, everything depends on how you see it!! I think I decided (even subconciously as a child) to see the good in people. What people decide to do with that, is for them and their concience. I can choose to spend each day counting up all the horrible people, experiences and things around me, or I can thank the Lord for every family member, every friend..every smile or gesture of thoughtfullness or kindness that I recieve. By giving it, one expects it and in turn, its pre-empted in a way, so that often, it WILL be recieved. If not, well, thats just humanity. Love IS like a bank account. The amount you deposit into the world is the amount which you will recieve one day...and God promises: "with interest"!