Love is at the root of everything

"Love is at the root of everything – love, or the lack of it. And the greatest thing we can do is to let people know that they are loved and capable of loving." Fred Rogers

The quote above brings many thoughts for me but the person it reminds me of most is my son Andrew. He was born with Triplegic Cerebral Palsy and much of his life has been a struggle. From the early days when we didn’t know if he would ever see, or hear, or have normal cognitive functions, to the days when we didn’t know if he would ever walk, or have control over his bodily functions, or be able to have a “normal” life. There were seasons of surgeries, and therapy, and pain, and seasons of confusion, and fear, and frustration, and new challenges.

One thing that has been a constant in Andrew’s life is his engaging and disarming smile which has always stopped people in their tracks and captured their attention. It’s a sincere smile and people can always tell that he is truly and genuinely glad to meet them and to share a moment of life with them. Andrew is 33 years-old now and is fortunate to have normal cognitive functioning, but his physical disabilities and other challenges have otherwise prevented him from having that “normal” life as society might consider it.

While there have been many sacrifices and things to grieve which Andrew has never done and will never do, he has truly celebrated every triumph and opportunity but most of all what he celebrates is people. He loves to talk to people, to get to know them, and he truly cares about them and has an incredible gift of empathy. For everyone that knows him or has gotten acquainted with him, they’ve come to realize that Andrew has been removed from the normal judgments of society and in turn he doesn’t care what you look like, or how much you’ve achieved, what you do or what kind of house you live in or how much money you have. He’s just truly glad to see you and to share a moment catching up with you, to ask how YOU are truly doing. In short, I believe his engagement in those moments lets people know they are loved, and it inspires them to share that happiness and joy with others. People always feel good after talking with him or spending some time with him.

I’m fortunate to have Andrew in my life every day and the most peaceful part of my week is Friday afternoons when we watch old television shows together which promote notions of kindness, laughter, and love. I always end that time telling Andrew how much I love him and love our time together. I get to say out loud what so many people feel after a few moments with Andrew. I’m blessed to get to do that every week.

I hope this week brings you an opportunity to realize you are loved (which should include by you yourself!) and that you can love others.

Have a great week!