As I thought of the passing of so many loved ones in the past year, I thought about the need to love well. This means thinking about those people in your life that mean the most to you and making sure that you support those people in ways that matter. What questions lead this effort?
When can we get together?
We can't let too much time distance us from those we love. We have to find ways to talk to each other and see each other regularly. It's important to stay in touch.
What do you need?
We have to reach out to our loved ones with the question, "What do you need?" It's essential to be there for one another as much as possible in this regard. I remember years ago when my husband and I made a decision to support a loved one in a time of need. It was a right choice, one I've always been grateful that we made.
What do we enjoy together?
Our relationships grow when we work with common purpose and pleasure--finding the goals, events, places, and activities we enjoy together bring us together. Recently my sister planned an outing that brings many family members together with a shared event that most family members love to do--this nurtures a positive aspect of our shared family culture--an aspect of our culture that we've enjoyed for decades.
Be Present
Often it's not the big events that support loving well, but instead being present. Just knowing that a friend or family member is available is sometimes all the love you need at busy, challenging times of life.
Our lives are lived well when we love well. To make loving well your objective is to right your life ship in a positive direction. I'll be thinking about this today when I join a loving family who sadly will say good bye to one of their family members, a family member that they loved so well and a family member that they will miss so much.
