Talk is cheap.
Lots of people say, “I love you,” but what does it really mean? Real love for someone comes at a cost of sorts, because it means you’re invested in and committed to contributing to their happiness, contentment and well-being. It means they MATTER to you!
I recently suffered an excruciating loss when my sweet dog, Cleo died. She made it to our 5-year anniversary, from the day I adopted and brought her home. She was ill, and ultimately had difficulty breathing. I could have extended her life another week or so with drugs, but it killed me to watch her beautiful heart struggle to keep her body alive. I hired a vet to help her exit this life, at home.
The outpouring of sympathy and compassion from close friends as well as DOZENS of followers on Facebook made me feel less isolated and alone in my heart-wrenching grief. It was like receiving hugs of comfort from folks I’d not even had prior contact with, and I felt amazed by this, and very touched.
True friend checked in by calling almost every day~ even if it meant they’d have to hear me sobbing over this monumental loss, and all the questions we ask ourselves in hindsight like, “did I take good enough care of this loving, remarkable creature while she was with me?”
MY friends are never forgotten. Even when they’ve stopped replying, they still occupy a place in my heart. I have always been committed to contributing to their enrichment of life, because they MATTER to me. The same has held true for my clients, even when decades have passed since they were under my care. I still think about them, wonder how they are, and pray they’re doing well, and that at least some of what they learned and absorbed from me, has stuck with them and made their current existence even just a little bit better.
THIS is what it means to matter to someone. It’s easy to tell someone you “love” him or her~ but how do you demonstrate this feeling you have for them with your behaviors? Is it a long-lost relative you’re “too busy” to reach out to? Is it an old friend you haven’t connected with in a long time, and you wanna make sure they’re still alive and well?
When we TRULY love someone, when they’ve been meaningful in our lives, when they’ve made contributions to our growth and well-being, physically, spiritually or emotionally, do we make any effort to stay in touch~ or do we honestly believe they know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we genuinely LOVE them?