Love is so easy to share

Writing every Tuesday is so challenging and I love it. The range of emotions that i have to work through to produce one little post is crazy. I have to actually search my heart and examine what is there and what is worth being presented to family, friends and strangers. I guess i could take this thing a whole lot lighter but where would the fun and growth be in that! I hope you are enjoying it as much as i'm learning from doing it. Urgh, i hope i'm not one of thoes totally self-indulgent artists (HAHHAHA, if you could even call my post ART! HA!) that is doing it for personal and selfish reasons without taking into consideration the audience. I hate that! If you feel i'm even getting close to that, please...tell me. Yell at me. Make me stop! Good...now that i have that off my chest...

My heart...what is going on in my heart? Grief, i thought that would be alot easier to answer than it is. I'm not working full-time. I have oodles (what a great word...hardly used!) of free time to think and ponder on the deep inner chambers of my heart and yet still...this cluesness. It has taken me a good hour to get this far in writing and I haven't even hit the heart yet!

I want to wear my heart on my sleeve. I want to love deeply and without reserve. I want to overcome my fear of hurt and rejection to put my heart out to those around me. And i know what will happen. Some people will reject me. Some people may hurt me. and then some people will be challenged to do that same. OH...i get excited even thinking about that. Have you ever been in a group, not just a relationship, where people are trusting each other with their hearts. I guess that's supposed to be your family but really...how often does that happen?!? But in a community where you love unconditionally and trust others with your dreams and hopes and fears. Where you choose to forgive and move on from offenses and give grace when it isn't deserved.

I had the awesome experience of moving in with my friends last year. My wife and I moved in with another couple...and during our year there, my wife gave birth to our child and the other couple got pregnant. My extended family didn't really understand what we were doing. They thought we were crazy and stupid. I had to do a lot of work to translate their remarks into caring concern. I'm glad I didn't listen to them. It was wonderful. Rocky at times but one of the greatest things my wife and I have done since being married. We were forced to not be so "us" focused and to learn how to let people into our marriage and how to live with less space and comfort. And the other couple were great in their view of material possessions. They believed they had things to bless others. So they opened up their house all the time. They lent out their car, gave away money, had people sleep on the couch all the time. I hope my wife and I can become more and more like that.

There's a great song by india.Arie called timeless. Its says:

The clothes that you're wearing, they will one day be out of style. The car that your driving, it will one day max out in miles. Your hair and your make-up and the time that it takes up. It will take the same time to give someone your love. Kindness is timeless. Love is so easy to share. It just takes a moment to show someone you care.

As valentiness Day approaches, I hope and pray that you are able to put your life into perspective and start looking at your heart. Total cheese but Lord knows, our families and communities could use a little more love. Why not have it start with you?