Who Do You Love?

I struggle with the idea of love.

On one had, I am conservative and stingy. I love my friends and my family so fiercely, I don't want to sully that with using "love" as a lesser word.

On the other hand ...

I love the members of my church. I can't think of a single member whom I don't hold some love for, because of something about them.

I didn't always love them. But that's the great thing about a church community. As you get to know people, you get the opportunity to find out things about them that you love. The amount of generosity in the prickly old guy. The way the obstreperous guy just glows when he realizes a new idea. The way the completely dissimilar woman shares your exact belief about something that is important to you.

LOVE. I LOVE these people. I know that at some point, probably in the next year or so, I'm going to need to leave them. Part of my heart will be left with them. But this is a refillable resource. Because I know that as I get to know other folks, I'll love them.

Would that any time I met a new person, I could see that at some point, I will love them -- as I get to know them and discover the thing about them that I just love.

I can't always. As the person cuts me off in traffic, or huffs in front of me, or frankly, looks smooth and cool and polished when I am completely frumped out ... I am not mindful of the moment enough to understand that there is something in them that I would grow to love.

But it's there.