Radiate Love

Energy is real. Some people refer to it as vibes, energy, or spirit. It is an intangible thing that you feel. It’s metaphysical. It's supernatural. It’s spiritual. Whether you recognize it or not, you are giving and receiving energy. When you’re in a bad mood, people can feel it. When you’re happy or in a good mood, it's contagious. Radiate love.

Beyond Limits

Mary J. Blige is like the Aretha of my generation. She has been credited with being the “Queen of Hip Hop Soul.” Her song, Love No Limit debuted in 1993. I was all of eleven and a half years old belting out the lyrics as if I had any clue of what love with no limit really meant. Funny thing is I’m on the verge of being thirty-eight and love still has limitations for some. We love with conditions. We love based on contractual agreements. We love based on arrangements. We love based on feelings. We love based on convenience. However, God’s love is our example of what real love should look like in our lives. God’s love is beyond limits.

Valid

We all want to feel like our feelings are valid. We want to know that our actions are justified. We want to know that others understand us. We want people to empathize with us. It's only natural. However, we must graduate from validation to prudence. For some of us, we may have to recognize that our validation may not come from the sources we seek. Our validation is internal. Maturity is the wisdom in knowing that while our feelings might be valid, certain actions are not. Find comfort in knowing that you have the right to feel how you feel, but feelings don't always have to translate into actions.

Unsung Heroes

They walk among us. They work alongside us. They live with us. Every day we encounter unsung heroes. Grandmothers raising grandkids. Surrogate mothers and fathers who stepped up when no one else would. Stepparents who embrace their spouse's children. Teachers who take the extra time to pay attention to the little things. Nurses who give a little more TLC. Customer Service Reps who go the extra mile. Strangers who smile in your direction. These are just a few of the unsung heroes who add to our lives on a daily basis. Acknowledge their sacrifice. Acknowledge their generosity. Appreciate them. 

Release

The totality of the human experience can be described on the spectrum of love and loss. We are blessed to experience love and often devastated by the loss of it. Sometimes, it seems like we experience more loss than love. Count it all joy. For every tear, there was a smile. For every moment that feels like you can't breathe, there was a moment that left you breathless. Love and loss are two sides of the same coin. Cherish the love. Release the loss. Let it go.