Mother Teresa once said: Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
It sounds so simple, really. The concept is so simple. And yet so outstanding in it's simplicity and wisdom. How true, it is. How many of us have been fed on a constant diet of grandiose ideas of love, that we live our youth yearning for that perfect proposal and wedding. Our entire life, we dream about that perfect event, we forget that the wedding is the BEGINNING of the rest of our lives. We think it's the be all and end all. That love has to be made of grand gestures to be extraordinary. That we need that butterfly in our tummies to think we're in love.
I humbly disagree. I think it shouldn't be butterflies we're feeling, but that solid certainty that the someone is the person we wish to spend the rest of our lives with. That what we should be feeling is stability and solidity and security. That we can live and love that someone without getting tired.
Yet it's so much easier said than done. Not getting tired of someone. Especially when so many things get in the way. When in this modern world, temptations abound. It's strange isn't it, the paradox of our age?
And this paradox of our generation makes me cry, because I've been guilty of so many of these. Tall building, but short temper. More conveniences, but less time. More computers for easier and faster production, but less communication.
I've been guilty of the sins of my generation, and that makes me sad.
Here's another quote. This is by Dr. Bob Moorehead:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers;
wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
We spend more, but have less;
we buy more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgment;
more experts, yet more problems;
more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much,
smoke too much,
spend too recklessly,
laugh too little,
drive too fast,
get too angry,
stay up too late,
get up too tired,
read too little,
watch TV too much,
and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We've added years to life not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We conquered outer space but not inner space.
We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less.
We plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait.
We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion;
big men and small character;
steep profits and shallow relationships.
These are the days of two incomes but more divorce;
fancier houses but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips,
disposable diapers,
throw-away morality,
one night stands,
overweight bodies,
and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.
A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.
Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember to say "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it.
A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
