I’m back and filled with LOVE. I’ve been gone for a few weeks. I apologise. The truth is that life sometimes gets in the way of the best-laid plans.
At the beginning of February, my father had a sudden heart attack – don’t worry; he is well and truly on the road to recovery. This shocked my family. I dropped everything to be with him – including my weekly words. My father and I are very close, always have been. I think we’ve only ever had 2 fights in my entire life, though he tells me it is 3. He was on the other side of the country when this happened, travelling around Australia, leading the grey nomad life. Thank goodness it happened in a major city where there was good medical care. I had to be with him. I flew across the desert to be by his side. I don’t think I could have coped if I had not gone. Being far away often makes it harder in times like these.
It wasn’t an easy time; I have to be honest. No major surgery is easy. There was lots of uncertainty, but his strength and will got him to where he is now. Not only is my dad a big burly farming bloke, but his willpower could also withstand a hurricane – comes in handy when you need open heart surgery.
When I sat back down at my desk after a heavy month, I wondered what I would say. How would I explain my absence? There is a lot to unpack from the entire experience, but one thing I know for sure is that when you LOVE something your internal strength is more powerful than any other force.
Dad LOVES life. He loves the feeling of the sun on his face, the fresh air, the sound of the birds, laughing and being with his family. ‘Life’s good’ he always says, even in the toughest of times. Even in the ICU. Because he LOVES. He LOVES BIG. And so do I.
In my book Brave Enough Now; an inspirational story of self-discovery, survival and hope, I talk a lot about my family, including my dad. His love and my family’s love was one of the things that got me through that time in my life. Just like love has got him through this.
Sometimes I love something so much I feel like my heart may just burst (not literally – that kinda’ sounds bad considering what my dad has just been through – lol)
That is what I want this week’s word to be – LOVE.
What do you do for LOVE? What DO you LOVE?
Sometimes Love can be one of the hardest words too.
I’m not necessarily talking about romantic love but love in all its forms. Like love of food (one of my fav’s), love of life, love of yourself, love for a pet, your plants, work, friends, what you do, hobbies… etc.
Love is one of the strongest words on our planet, and yet it gets flung around like a frisbee. When you say you LOVE something, what does that mean to you?
I know for me LOVE is huge and powerful and full of strength. It’s intense. It holds forgiveness, compassion, hope, kindness and so much more.
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