I'd Do Anything For Love

I've realized lately that in order to fully love someone in your life, you have to love the things and people that mean the most to them. If I truly care about someone, then I will care about what they care about. And I don't mean silly stuff like if my friend likes Oprah then I have to watch Oprah too. I mean real things that their hearts yearn for, I should care.

I had lunch with this lady the other day:

(this is an extremely old picture of me and Missy)

Because I had lunch with her, I also had lunch with these guys:


(OMG!!! He is so adorable I can barely stand it!)

These are Missy's 16 month old twins. Not only did I have lunch with them (and their two other siblings) but I took their pictures (because they are ridiculously cute!!!!!) and showed them to everyone in my office and house. They're not my kids but I care a lot about them because I love Missy dearly and she loves them. I care and when I can I hang out and play with these kids. I don't do diapers, but I will haul them around and feed them, etc because their mom is my best friend. In order to really love her, I need to make an effort to love what she loves.

This lady is my other best friend Angela:


In this picture Angela is holding her very first niece. Last week I made sure I checked in to see how her sister and new niece were doing. I care about Angela and so I care about what she cares about.

And just a moment ago I texted my mom to say happy first day of school tomorrow and to hug this lady for me:


This is my mom's best friend "Aunt Bern." Aunt Bern has been on sabbatical for a while now as she has been fighting breast cancer. But tomorrow she will return to teaching! I make sure to ask about Aunt Bern and tell mom to hug her for me because I know how much this lady means to my mom.

Loving people is such a vast and hard thing to do. It causes us not to be selfish. It causes us to think of others and not just focus on ourselves. Yes there are times that I just want to sit at a table with just me and Missy, but instead it's like eating lunch in a hurricane with her and her four kids. (One time one of them actually threw up in my shoe while another one had a melt down of atomic proportions and another tried to climb the booth like it was Mt. Everest.. true story) But I love Missy and thus I brave the hurricane and learn to embrace it. Love requires much from us. But ya know what, it gives so much more back in return. I don't know what it was that Meatloaf wouldn't do for love, but it must have been huge. I'd do anything for love!

Until then......