The world becomes much easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn't through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple.
Fredrik Backman Bear Town
The world is filled with so much hate these days. Battle lines are drawn, sides taken on so many issues each and every day. We have a tendency to approach the world with our heart set on war. A heart at war sees others not as people, but as objects to either overcome or to use. My own heart has been veering more towards hate than I want it to of late. So, I spent the week looking for signs of love. Love is hard, but it is very much worthwhile.
Ten Signs of Love/Things of Thankful
As the week began my husband and I were wrapping up a road trip from NC to KS. I enjoyed every minute of our time together.
We added an unexpected detour and stopped at my sister-in-law's for a wonderful bonus visit.
When I spent a day in bed feeling puny, my son brought me a chocolate shake and TLC.
No cost dental care was provided several of our students at school this week.
Our pastor sent us into the week with the challenge to recognize a heart of love vs a heart of hate and to foster the heart of love.
The presentation of Bibles from my church to the 3rd Grade Sunday School class.
A spontaneous family movie and dinner night that brought me joy.
Friends who selflessly cared for their beloved family dog and ultimately recognized when the time came to let her go.
The peaceful demonstrations and calls for change led by young Americans last weekend.
Good Friday
Good Friday
As our friend, Lizzie, always said, #lovewins. The quote you shared at the beginning of your post is powerful and apropos in our unsettled world. I think I'd like to read Beartown. We read Man Called Ove for book club recently. Happy Easter - hope love is blooming all around you. Please no more snow.
ReplyDeleteI read everything Backman writes. I love his insight into people and the way his stories always lean into goodness.
DeleteOh, and I am hopeful that love can start winning a little quicker!
May we all seek a heart of love, no matter how difficult it is. Blessed Easter to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteTo you as well!
DeleteWonderful list of thankfuls. I hope you have a blessed Easter.
ReplyDeleteThank you and I wish you the same.
DeleteThough hate seems powerful, with its noisy anger, love is stronger.
ReplyDeleteFrom your lips to God's ear!
DeleteIt, (hate), does have that awful capacity to latch into a part of us, if we're not vigilant in our relationship* with it.
ReplyDeleteI try to remain conscious of this notion so that I don't inadvertently put myself in a place (in my world) where my energies are tied up in a cycle of negativity.
Hating hate, seemingly a reasonable response is a good example of the insidious nature of negative energies. Its all too simple to focus on how the negative manifests and overlook the fact that to engage with it on any level is to put ourselves at risk; or at very least having our energies depleted in the effort to keep it at arms length.
*relationship in a very broad use of the word, if I chose to ignore you, (for example), I am still on a certain level still in a relationship with you.
I have read this comment on a couple different days. There is much to chew on here. Good thoughts. I needed the reminder about hating hate. I can easily get caught up in that negativity.
DeleteI believe (and I read this somewhere) what we focus on becomes our reality. And how sad when negativity and hatred become the focus. What good can come from that?
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting your Ten Signs of Love as your TToT.
This sent a bit of a chill down my spine. A sad situation indeed if negativity and hatred becomes our focus/reality.
DeleteI love me a good road trip. Happy Easter to you and I'll try to focus on love not hate too. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteHappy Spring, Kerry (with sincere wishes you are actually experiencing spring rather than extended winter like we have had here!).
DeleteYou are always the voice of reason. Always. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh a little picturing myself as the voice of reason. Recovering Hot Head and Sharp Tongue-lasher might be alternate descriptions used at different times in my life! I have to credit motherhood with mellowing me.
Deletehave a great day
ReplyDeleteYou too.
DeleteHow great that you could have a nice road trip and also visit family. Sorry you weren't feeling well one of the days.
ReplyDeleteLooking for signs of love and goodness, and just being good oneself, is an excellent way to join in with all the hateful words and actions that are out there.
Putting energy into developing personal goodness helps to channel energy in a worthwhile and positive direction as well I find.
DeleteI'm really trying to work on this - my son is being bullied by his teacher and we are fighting the school board. I want to hate but instead of hate, we need to use our rage in the matter and that energy to enforce change so that other children like my son won't have to endure what he's going through. But at times it is so hard. The hate tries to win me over - I'm trying though. I know that kindness will do so much more than hate. Thank you for this post. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI hope by now you have seen improvement and some positive response to your efforts. I know that the hardest times for me to moderate my reactions are those times when I feel one of my children has been wronged.
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