What Love Requires: October 18 - 24

Just this week,

• I spoke with a grandmother raising her granddaughter while setting boundaries with her daughter who suffers from mental illness.

• I zoomed with a friend who lost her father with whom she had a complicated relationship. She hoped for healing but understood it wasn't likely to happen in the last week of his life. Nevertheless, she showed up as his daughter and did what was needed.

• I had a long talk with someone doing the hard work to untangle the unhealthy patterns in her marriage.

• I connected with old friends who made a special trip to spend time with a mutual friend going through treatment for cancer.

In these moments, my toolbox of mindfulness practices felt insufficient. No amount of mindful breathing could ease the suffering. No amount of gratitude could fill the ache. No words of lovingkindness were enough. Sometimes love simply requires more than we ever realized we could give.

Actually, my mindfulness practice made a huge difference in each of these instances. I showed up. I opened my heart. I witnessed another's pain and didn't run away. I remembered all we have is this day and each other. And that is enough.

Practice

Visit your mindfulness toolbox. Pick out you favorite practice. Maybe find a quiet spot and rest in the breath for 20 minutes. Maybe gift someone with a flower or a poem as a way to express your gratitude for their presence in your life. Maybe offer lovingkindness to all beings everywhere, including yourself.

But more importantly, allow the practice to ripple through the remaining days of your life. Look someone in the eye. Listen to the unspoken message between the words. Love might just ask you to do the unimaginable. Say "yes" to love.