When the children’s skin is itching and they cry for comfort. What they need is Grandma Love.
When the nation is divided, we don’t know what will happen next, and we are afraid that violence may break out. What we need is Grandma Love.
When storms are raging and our communities are underwater. What we need is Grandma Love.
When cancer cells are growing in our bodies and we need to stop them from spreading. What we need is Grandma Love.
When our souls are weary but our bodies are restless. What we need is Grandma Love.
Throughout the ages, wise people have spoken of the power of love. Here are a few examples.
In the words of the poet, Maya Angelou: “Love heals. Heals and liberates. I use the word love, not meaning sentimentality, but a condition so strong that it may be that which holds the stars in their heavenly positions and that which causes the blood to flow orderly in our veins.”
Clearly, she is talking about a stong love, one that is so big it impacts both heaven and earth. It is not a sentimental love which I would describe as ephemeral as in picking petals off the daisy while declaring he loves me, he loves me not. No, it is steady and durable and never fails.
More powerful words about love come from Ernest Holmes.
“Love is within us. It cannot be destroyed. It can be ignored. To the extent that we abandon love we will feel it has abandoned us.
Denying love is our only problem, and embracing it is the only answer.
Through the power of love, we can let go of past history and begin again.
Love heals, forgives, and makes whole.”
This warms my heart to know that there is a force inside of me that can put everything right again. I want to embrace this love!
Now for what Bernie Siegel says about love:
“I am convinced that unconditional love is the most powerful known stimulant of the immune system. If I told patients to raise their blood levels of immune globulins or killer T cells, no one would know how. But if I can teach them to love themselves and others fully, the same changes happen automatically. The truth is: love heals.”
These are powerful words about the greatest power there is. You might wonder why I am thinking and writing about love today. The truth is, my husband and I are facing adversity. I speak for myself when I say that what life is asking of me is beyond my best thinking and coping strategies. Nothing but a power greater than me will get me through this.
When I lean on Love, I trust that we will be carried through this time with grace and possibility.
With love, we will be able to meet the challenges in our personal lives, in our nation, and in the world.
The kind of love I am talking about is a mature love that is consistent, unconditional, and not connected to outcomes. That’s why I call it Grandma Love. It is wise and feminine as in generated from the inside out. It is expansive, inclusive, and unfettered.
Its purpose is to connect, unite, strengthen, heal, and remind us of the truth that love is the greatest power there is.
I need only remember and when I do, share stories of Grandma Love to keep the memory alive.
