May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
A few years ago I arrived home after almost six weeks away to a non-functional computer and a blog post that seriously missed its deadline. Our elderly dog, who has since died, climbed under my desk, knocked the computer box over in panic during a thunderstorm and damaged my hard drive. It was not pretty!
Then in the same week, Nelson Mandela died. My first thought was that a light had gone out in the world. It got me thinking about how one remarkable human being managed to impact the world by being who he was. In the most incredibly circumstances, Nelson Mandela found a way to love and keeping loving and in return was genuinely loved by so many. It is an extraordinary accomplishment from a truly great human being.
Not all of us are able to change the world in such a vast way but each and every one of us has the capacity to change our life and benefit people close to us. There are many different kinds of love and many ways to love, but the essence of love is beyond that, it is universal. Love sometimes catches us unaware, a moment sneaks up and before we know it we feel connected and expansive and part of something so much greater than just ourselves.
The funny thing is that it is not always easy to love, even when we actually do! Husbands, children, family and friends, while we often adore them, have a way of driving us absolutely nuts with frustration. Life throws challenges at us that drain our spirits and knock us off balance. We get hurt, shut down and gradually our capacity for love withers and fades.
In my heart of hearts I firmly believe that no matter what, the spark inside of us never dies. As long as we have life, we can love. Sometimes we have to dig deep to remember. We have to use every tool in our tool kit to remind ourselves that when everything else is taken away, our capacity to love remains. It is love that takes us beyond ourselves, that guides us to see the world at large and to remember the greater good.
We recently celebrated Mandela Day and in honour of Nelson Mandela's life, I pledge to cultivate the spark of love inside me on a daily basis, to do my utmost to help where help is needed and to live wholeheartedly to the very best of my ability. What are you going to pledge?
Comments
This year I pledged to do more good things for others.