Today we celebrated the truly endless love of family and friendships — the love that each of us can be part of.
I had the honor of helping to celebrate the life of my daughter-in-law’s grandfather. Bruce lived to be 91, and he and Ida had been married for 70 years. That is a long life of love.
My daughter-in-law’s sister, Laura, is a wonderful photo archivist, and put together four big photo boards, showing Bruce’s life in hundreds of moments. It was fascinating to see the history and younger days of the wonderful family my son has married me into. His marriage has added to our family’s love.
Looking at the many photos one could easily see how the love of family was so important to Bruce, and how that joy had been, and continues to be, shared and multiplied through his friendships, children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. This growing and expanding of love is truly endless love — not the pop song “endless love” between two people, but the ever-widening sharing of time and caring that everyone can be part of.
By gathering to honor him, we were reminded of what a great treasure it is to have a loving family and friends, both in good times and hard times.
A wise man once told me that to grow love we need to act lovingly to others. Love is more than a feeling — it is an action. Together we create love.
I urge you to try harder with your family, friends and co-workers, to be the one showing kindness. Help to build community and friendships one smile at a time. Be a nucleus for love.
Let’s be the farmers growing love, tending our relationships, both small and deep, so that each day there can be more love. And remember each day, in small ways and larger, to be celebrating love — the most important thing we get to share.
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| Bruce and Ida, ten years ago, celebrating their 60th anniversary. They went on to 70 years, and to show how each of us can widen our circles of love. Let’s be part of a growing network of friends and family. |
