Love
Yes we have all been affected by the tragedy in Paris, and the realisation that we are vulnerable. Fear has entered our souls with a note of defiance! No we are not afraid! The after thought is that of LOVE. Loving each other, loving our neighbour, most of all we are missing love. Without love we become lost. So many tell the story that those who were dying, or whilst they prayed to be saved, all they could say was the love they had to their family and friends. LOVE, so powerful and so important.
The lost Children
The question I ask myself is what of the « lost children » that committed this horrendous crime, apparently they had been lost to their families for many years. A father said, that he knew nothing of his son for many years, his brother too. How can that be? How can you NOT know how is your family. I was brought up a Christian, with a Spanish mother who insisted that we were always a family, sacrificing many things to be close to ours each year in Spain. Yes I love my brother despite he can make me exasperated many a time. Yes my mother drove me crazy while I was an adolescent, yes I drive my kids furious with my rules at home, but it is all from love. Love is what binds our family, and so I ask myself how can these « lost children » have lost theirs? Please do not get me wrong, I do believe that their parents gave them love, but how did they get lost in their lives, so far from the path of love, to kill themselves whilst killing others?
Respecting one another with love
Our lives are all difficult today; it is hard to find a job, where there are few; to be excluded, because of colour, race, age, gender… How can you feel integrated; when you are rejected. Even from your family? We must stop to judge each other, it is not always the fault others. We do make choices, and they will affect each one differently… But we must love each other for whom we are. Today, one is afraid to look at another in the eye without getting an aggressive return « what at you staring at! » Why such aggression to each other? I look because I want to see you, see how different we are, and at the same time, brother we have both the same blood in our veins. There is no menace in my regard, no judgement, stop interpreting my regard with your poor rejection of yourself. Start by loving yourself and then those around you.
We are starting to see, in the terrible aftermath, little stories of love, that are fed by the constant bombardment of media, facebook, news, twitter : the grandmother who gets flowers for saying that we must love our Muslim compatriots, the kid who feels better because candles and flowers make it good, holding hands, vigils around the world, silence, coloured monuments, Nations coming together finally to work together, to help, to lift above the differences to love, holding hands in the battle against the evil. Lets all respect each other with love not hate.
We can all help
We can all help in a little way. Have you lost a friend to time? Have you lost touch with a brother or a sister? Have you no news of someone that is part of your family? It is time to call, to reach out and give them your love, perhaps your gesture may make a small difference in their lives to see life differently. To see that with love we can all be happier. Share your good around to others.
The tragedy of loosing a friend or family member will be a long journey to overcome if ever, the pain will not heal, only with a little time, can you come to grips with it, you will never get better, life changes, and acceptance is the best remedy to move forward. Do not let hate kindle in your hearts, with your pain. Choose to love.
Many are suffering around the world for the loss of a love one, so many lives lost in useless battles and wars. Let us take each day a small step in our human lives to love someone close by and let them feel the warmth or our hearts.
Paris je t’aime!