Love is not blind but because of it’s unpredictability and it’s elusiveness
It can, at times, be a little difficult to see.
Other times, however, it is as palpable as can be
We can feel it in our heart, in our mind, in our body…and it is obvious to see.
An old story I bring to you today and using the criteria from above
See if you can tell the exact moment it becomes a story of love…
Mary and Johnny were sister and brother.
Mary was sick and the doctors came to the conclusion…
the only thing that would save her life…would be a blood transfusion.
Since his blood was a match the doctor approached Johnny saying,
“Johnny, I know this is a little scary…but in order to save your sister…
would you give your blood to Mary?”
Johnny hesitated for a moment whispering to himself, “I know it will be scary.”
then he sighed and said, “Yes, doctor…I will give my blood to Mary.”
As the nurse inserted the needle into Johnny’s arm he whispered to himself,
“This is when it gets a little scary.”
only to feel his fear subside knowing he was helping Mary.
After a little while the doctor noticed a tear form in Johnny’s eye…
when he asked Johnny what was wrong
Johnny answered, “Doctor, when exactly will I die?”
The doctor leaned over…and with a tear in his eye…
He said, Johnny you don’t have to worry…you’re not going to die.”
“Because you gave some of your blood to Mary…you both are going to live!”
But no-one in the room that day will ever forget…the gift Johnny was willing to give.
I believe we could all use more stories of love in our life…
Not only for the warm feeling in our hearts these stories create…
But also…when a heart is filled with love…
there is no room in there for hate.
His assignment was a simple one…to go home…observe his family
and then write an essay his teacher entitled, ‘What Love Means To Me’
He did just that…for days he watched his mom…he secretly took notes
and after a little bit of observation…this is what he wrote:
WHAT LOVE MEANS TO ME
Love is my mom making sure I have all my meals…that I am happy and well fed.
It’s how she makes sure I take a bath, clean behind my ears and brush my teeth before I go to bed.
It’s how she happily gets behind the wheel when it’s her turn to car-pool
or how she greets me with a hug and a kiss when I get home from school.
I saw so many big things my mom does when I was watching…big things of love just for me
but I also saw love in little things she does when she thinks I do not see.
It’s when making me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich she takes the time to spread
the peanut butter…just the way I like it…on both slices of the bread.
It’s the notes she slips into my lunchbox…how she finds a way
with a smiley face or a little heart…to brighten up my day.
It’s when she reads me a book in bed at night…once I’ve prayed my soul the lord to keep
how she always reads to the end of the book even when she thinks I am asleep.
It’s when, after she tucks me into bed and has turned out all the lights,
she checks back in later…to make sure that I’m all right.
It seems to me love has two parts…before this…I didn’t know…
each part is equally important…each part make love grow.
The first part has to do with those big things we do for others…
like the big things my mom does for me.
Those big things when I’m watching…that are easy for me to see.
The second part are all those little things we do for each other…
Like all the little things my mom does for me
when she thinks I am not watching…when she thinks I do not see.
So to me love means making another person happier than they had ever thought…
Like all the big things my mom does for me when she knows that I am watching…
and all the little things she does for me when she thinks that I am not
His mom has saved his essay all these years…and sometimes on a whim
She pulls it out to remind herself what her love meant to him.
Today I’m thankful for the simplicity of love:
For our path ahead is smooth…
If our purpose in life is
to love
to love
to love
to be kind
to heal
and to soothe.
‘Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red, brown, yellow, black and white
All our precious in his or her sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.’
I remember singing this song in catechism class
after which…with our teacher we’d discuss.
She said since we are all God’s children
he or she loves each and every one of us.
As we’d sing she would call us each by name…
saying God made us all a little different…
but he, or she, loves us just the same.
Our teacher was adamant in her faith, her beliefs and her assumptions…her conclusions…
She said this song has no fine print, no hidden clauses
no exemptions…no exclusions!
She said this is a song about love and how love is the key
the cornerstone of all life, of all religions and spirituality.
She taught us how singing is both a spiritual and beautiful way to pray….
and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if we substituted Jesus
with Brahman, Buddha, Allah or Yahweh.
She said we should feel love when we sing this song
and I’m sure all Gods would agree
our goal in life should be to spread this love for all the world to see.
But something’s happened to the song we sang when we were innocent and young
the words have lost their meaning…or perhaps the song’s no longer sung.
We are still those same children of the world…
Red, brown, yellow, black and white…
but along the way we’ve stopped seeing each other as precious in our sight.
To those of you who believe in religion…who believe in a God
but no longer believe the words to this song are true….
Look in the mirror…
the problem is not with your religion
or your God…
The problem is with you.