Love and Inspiration

I wanted to make sure to follow up my last post with a link to an article that my friend and former colleague, Bela Shah, wrote last month.  It’s where I originally got the idea of writing "Love Letters" to loved ones (a twist on what Hannah does)…so it’s definitely important that I share it with you.  You can find Bela’s article here: http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=374.

In the article, Bela introduces us to Hannah, a woman who found herself in a lonely and depressed time in her life back in 2010, but who randomly found herself writing a note to a stranger one day during her morning commute.  From that one note, an idea was born within Hannah.  She blogged, "I wanted to do an act of love so extravagant that they will have no idea how to repay me. It wasn’t about the love letters, but what they symbolized. Love letters symbolize presence and intention and above all connection. I wanted anyone receiving a letter to realize that I don’t need to know them in order to love them.”

And, as Bela concludes, “each time [Hannah] sat down to write a letter, she experienced that beautiful connection to someone and something outside of herself, outside of her own confusing cycle of thoughts.”

What a beautiful thought that during our lowest moments, if we are able to find the strength to look at those around us and give them a little bit of love, we can fill ourselves up with a little love too.  No matter how big or small your gesture of love or kindness is, it can make a big difference not only in the other person's life, but in yours as well.  

I also wanted to share some quotes that bring me great inspiration and remind me of the simple beauty of my very favorite thing in life………love.

  

“At the end of life, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built, not what we got but what we shared; not our competence but our character; and not our success, but our significance.  Live a life that matters.  Live a life of love.” ~Author Unknown~

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.  Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” ~Mother Teresa~

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  ~Martin Luther King, Jr.~

“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.”  ~Zelda Fitzgerald~

“At the end of the day, the only questions I will ask myself are:  Did I love enough?  Did I laugh enough?  Did I live enough?” ~Author Unknown~

“What if the key to peace across the world was simply for each of us to unlock our own hearts?” ~Author Unknown~

“To everyone I know, please let us try and work together for light where there is dark; good where there is evil; hope where there is doubt; love where there is hate; peace where there is anger; and, faith where there is fear.  We can all be part of a new dawn.” ~Author Unknown~

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” ~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey~

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa~

"I alone cannot change the world. But, I can give hope to those who will listen, that to change the world we must first change ourselves. We must change our hearts and our thoughts to that of love, peace & kindness. We must be willing to open our hearts & minds. We must not judge, for everyone has their own battles to fight. We must give of ourselves in ways of the heart…to share our Love is the biggest gift we can offer." ~Kim Bayne, "Live Life Positively"~

 And one to grow on…from one of my very favorite books and authors:

“Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. When I first reached through to it, I thought the Soul of the World was perfect. But later, I could see that it was like other aspects of creation, and had its own passions and wars. It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse. And that’s where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are.” ~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist~

When we give something of ourselves to someone or something else, we quite often end up receiving something beautiful as well.   And what a cycle of love that is in this big crazy world in which we live!