Friday, February 13, 2015

Love is Good ...

by Dotti

... but it isn't always easy.


Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.
                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                   ~ Fred Rogers

Did you watch Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood with your children? My daughter and I watched it every day and talked about it together. I loved his straightforward approach when talking with children, teaching them without insulting their intelligence. I wish I had a quarter of the wisdom that man had.

Last week I came across this quote and I’ve been pondering it ever since. I seriously doubt that children understood what he meant but perhaps a seed was planted and sprouted many years later. I don’t know but I sure hope so. In any event, there is an important truth here, as there was with so much of what Fred Rogers said.

We’ve all experienced it. How easy it is to love when a person is kind to us but how difficult it is when somebody we love is rude to us. Everybody loves a cuddly newborn baby but it's a much more of a struggle when she has colic. 

It’s easy to love our significant other when he/she brings us flowers but when he/she leaves the gas tank in our car on empty, it's another story and thus another struggle ensues. 

These are, admittedly, momentary blips in the big picture. Real life throws us many more difficult ongoing circumstances that are much more challenging than these examples. But by working through it and accepting the situation and where the person is right now we enable ourselves to maintain our love and chances are our love even grows through the process.

At the end of the day, I think it's all worth it. What do you think?



Happy Valentine’s Day to each of you!

And don’t forget to post all your photos about love and Words of Love on the Flickr page and on the Instagram feed. We love seeing your photos!

14 comments:

CarolHart said...

Wise words my friend. Happy Valentines Day!

kelly said...

oh so very true dotti. indeed, very wise words from a very wise man. what a perfect way to head into valentines day.

Deanna said...

Ah so very true...I loved Mr. Rogers when my children were young it was on in our house daily...."won't you be my neighbor" And PS I love your "love" mugs and ofcourse, the scissors!!

terriporter said...

Of course, I love your mugs, but your words are really speaking to me today. We watched Mr. Rogers too but I don't remember this particular quote. It is definitely one to take to "heart" (pun intended)!

Jeanne said...

lots of wisdom here! Hope you have a love filled day

Bonny Bonafilla said...

Wise words, Dotti. The difficult times often serve to show us how deep our feelings for the other person are. If they leave your gas tank on empty and you're able to rise above the irritation and share dinner with good humour then it says a lot about the strength of your relationship. I love your final mug, but the way. It's possibly my favourite of them all. All the best, Bonny

Anonymous said...

I came across your blog and really enjoyed stopping by. Great photos! I'll be visiting again! Have a great day!

heyjudephotography said...

Absolutely love that first photo! Wise words today Dotti. Happy Valentine's Day.

Anonymous said...

Well said, Dotti! It's important to recognize that love does not magically hit you one day and then keep you enthralled forever. It is a daily re-creation! Love your mugs too.

Unknown said...

Thank You for this reminder, Dotti. I needed to hear that today.

AFishGirl said...

So true, Dotti. I remember Mr. Roger's sweaters. I really liked those sweaters and his gentle manner. Thank you for this post. Food for thought.

Kim Stevens said...

Love that second shot.....and I love Mr. Rogers ( I have his little book with all his quotes, including this great one!). I think often we forget that we can't expect others to accept us the way we are, imperfections and all without reciprocating back the same. But sometimes we are one sided beings....reminders are always a good thing!

Donna Hopkins said...

Dotti, Thank you for sharing this thoughtful quote and reminding me of the wisdom in rising above the ordinary irritations of every day life to actively love the people that God has placed in my life. Every time you drink from this sweet mug you will be reminded of this quote and of the positive impact you have on your friends - both near and far.

Jeanne said...

Lots of wisdom here and I love the simplicity of your mug and the photo you took of it

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