Wednesday, May 03, 2006

What Matters Most

"Life is all about love."... I suppose I should have been reading this about Feb. 14, but today is a good day to think about love. It is so important, because God first loved us we love one another. After living as a single person for a number of years, this new marriage has taught me a bit about love...or maybe it just reminded me of things like how Warren says, "Love cannot be learned in isolation. You have to be around people -- irritating, imperfect, frustrating people." Holy cow, have I learned that in abundance. How often does my lovely new bride drive me nuts? Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty certain that I am far worse to try and live with, but she can be absolutely crazy sometimes. Yet here is the weird thing, those nutty things she does and those strange quirks of hers actually make me love her more. I wonder, if I spent more time with other people who challenge me might I start loving them more?

I also think that Warren gives us a good reminder today about time spent. Life, loving others, is best spent by spending time with them. Yet how often are people and relationships just something else to squeeze in the schedule. We spend so much time doing things, working, running around, etc. We strive to accomplish and acquire "stuff." Yet how many people do you see on their death bead wanting to snuggle up with their awards or wishing they had worked more? Isn't always the case that they want to snuggle up with family and dear friends? If they have a regret, isn't it usually that they spent too much time at work and not enough time with family and friends? Maybe we can learn this valuable lesson from these dear ones that have gone before us.

No comments: