Love’s Power

When I turned 40, I decided to write reflections on the day-to-day things that add up to a life; these were published in a monthly newspaper column for the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript for a decade. In 2018, as I approached my 60th birthday, I decided to take up my pen once again, and thought it would be fun to juxtapose these new reflections with the ones I wrote 20 years ago. Thanks for coming on the journey!

60: (December 2023)

My husband and I had the great fortune to vacation with my daughters in Europe a couple of weeks ago. My younger daughter and her adorable dog live in Berlin; my older daughter, my husband, and I all converged at her apartment for a cozy holiday time together, complete with Christmas markets that we explored in Germany, as well as in Prague. It was a magical time that has filled my heart to overflowing.

Albeit, the backdrop to Berlin is a stark reminder of World War II and the lessons we have learned from it, or have yet to learn. Remnants of the wall, bombed out remains of a cathedral in the center of the city, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, to name a few, defy you to forget the atrocities that happened there. Add to that a random, heartbreaking mass shooting that happened in beautiful Prague a week or so after we returned — a tragic reminder that horrifying violence continues to take hold throughout our world.

Access to guns. Deranged minds. People in deep pain, lashing out to others. Whatever the reason, evil is more likely to take root and spread when we become complacent, give up, or find excuses for bad actions. Nobody thinks the worst will happen until it does. This time of year is an especially good time to counteract that complacency, to take pause and focus on what is at the heart of the season: love. Love is a powerful force; it contains the alchemy necessary for transformation.

We can’t be complacent. There’s too much at stake in our complicated world. We need to love valiantly, vigilantly. We need to love as if the lives of our loved ones depend on it, because they do. We need to love so ferociously that it outpaces hatred of any sort, that it obliterates all that is devoid of light.

Berlin contains so much beauty, while also holding so much history that recounts stories that are anything but beautiful. Yet love prevailed. Beauty prevailed. This season is a reminder to generate light by loving fiercely. The world depends on it.

40: (December 2003)

I love my small town and that so many people in the town know each other and care for each other in little ways that can season a life. One particular townsperson highlighted this for me during our town’s annual Santa party for the children. It was the usual fare: cookies, milk, music, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, and a couple of elves. And popcorn. It was the popcorn that made a big impression on me this year.

Every year, an old gentleman from town volunteers to make bags upon bags of buttered popcorn for the Santa party. This year, the party was underway for a short while when we noticed that the popcorn had not yet arrived. We wondered and worried if everything was all right with the elderly gentleman, whose age makes him particularly vulnerable to the pitfalls of the icy walkways that were everywhere. A couple of us were about to drive to his home to check if everything was okay when we saw him drive up. Just like so many years past, there he was, one hundred or so individual bags of popcorn neatly stacked in boxes in the back seat of his pickup. We helped him unload the golden loot and passed the bags out among the children, who were eagerly waiting for their turn with Santa.

This man’s Christmas gift to the town’s children is such a simple gesture of kindness and generosity. Every year. It is a gift of his spirit to the children; it is a gift to be treasured. In this precarious world we live in, it is comforting to know that humble acts of love still thrive, still weaving the fabric of our community together.

Small gestures matter, be they given or received. It is in those sweet moments of life that time can stand still, just barely, so that each kernel can be relished.

May simple gifts of generosity and love be yours.

60-40:

Although that old gentleman is no longer alive, his generosity still moves me, inspires me, gives me hope.

Acts of love have power beyond our imagination, reverberating through time. In this season of darkness, may we sparkle brightly for each other. The lyrics to the Christmas hymn, “Silent Night” include the words “Son of God, love’s pure light.”

Love’s pure light. Just imagine. Merry Christmas!