Unconditional Real Love

When I brought Cathi home from her surgery many weeks ago, we turned into our culdesac and immediately saw that someone had posted a bright, pink flag in our front yard with the breast cancer emblem on it.  At first, we were a little concerned thinking our neighbors might think we were advertising our great suffering or asking for their pity.  But soon it became apparent that this gesture was the beginning of something wonderful.

Over the last several weeks, we have noticed a steady stream of new, various types of flowers being planted on our front porch.  Because we live at 6300 feet elevation and have had occasional snowfall, the flowers have sometimes disappeared during the cold then reappeared when the air warms up.  It soon became apparent that the person responsible for this kindness was NOT just one person but many.

We are so fortunate to have people in our lives that willingly forget themselves and put the needs of others first.  I remember hearing a story about a woman who lost her husband.  After the funeral, the burial, the big family dinner...after all the noise had diminished and this woman finally found herself alone in her home, she allowed herself to break down and cry...to finally mourn the loss of her husband and the beginning of a new, lonely life without him.  Several hours went by and her grief couldn't be consoled.  She began walking through her dark, empty house, recalling memories and feeling the pain of her loss.  As she passed by one of the windows, something caught her eye through the curtains.  Why would her best friend's car still be parked in the street this time of night?  As she looked closer, she could see the face of someone behind the steering wheel and suddenly felt a rush of love as she realized that there was someone in that car who was also mourning in the dark...for her.  Her friend knew she needed time alone to experience her grief and that her greatest expression of love would be quietly sitting in her car, sharing her sadness from a distance.

In 1 Timothy 4:12 we are told, "...be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  There is power in selfless, unconditional, real love...both for the giver and for the receiver.  I believe that that is at the core of what life is all about.  We want you to know that we feel your quiet sadness as we pass through this trial.  We feel you cheering Cathi on as she moves onto her next chemo treatment.  We feel a lot of loving arms around our family keeping us safe, happy, and hopeful.  Thank you.

The following video expresses the power of this unconditional real love in a remarkable way, reflected in the lives of a bunch of teenage girls...