Handle With Love

I found this tag on an item of clothing I received for Christmas last year. I'm fairly sure it was from either The Gap or Banana Republic. It caught my eye immediately and has been on my inspiration board ever since. I mean, for Pete's sake, how do possibly you throw away a pretty piece of ribbon that says "Handle with love"????

I look at this piece of ribbon often and it reminds me to handle everything and everyone in my life with love. Especially those closest to us who we spend the great majority of our time with. I realized that in my life it is very easy to be kind and loving to people you only see once in a while. It helps that you rarely see each other in bad form, so you can enjoy each other and then dance off into your own personal sunsets with grace.

But with those people closest to you in geography and intimacy, that is quite a much more difficult thing altogether, isn't it. You may wish, as I do, that they will never see you "less beautiful'. That you will somehow be able to hold it together every minute of every day and be your lovely, graceful, gracious self. Unfortunately this is not possible. RATS! One of my greatest personal frustrations in my life. And the closer you let people get and the more people you let get close to you, the more risky it becomes, right?!

Because they are going to repeatedly see you fail at the same things over and over, notice your shortcomings, patterns of weakness in your life. And they aren't going to like that, just as you aren't going to like that. Just knowing that they see the "less beautiful" you is frustration enough, let alone managing the work that needs to be realized and done in each of our own lives on a regular basis. To make matters even more difficult we become the same viewers of other's weak spots, which plagues our ability to be kind, understanding and forgiving.

That's where this little ribbon comes in. It reminds me to be loving and kind in my actions out in the greater world, in my inner circle and with myself. Outside of the love of God, there is little love that is more beneficial and meaningful in our lives than the love and grace and kindness we show ourselves. That allows us to more freely and abundantly show it in all other arenas and to all other people. We are all tender and need and deserve acceptance and love.

Little reminders like this one on my bulletin board inspire me to those greater heights. I hope it will inspire you too. Hope this is a wonderful and loving day for you.

image by kalanicut