Unconditional Love

Unconditional Love

The Many Degrees Of Love

Part 3 of 4

This is a tough one because what is unconditional love? Well, to me it means to love someone no matter what. Can you truly love someone no matter what? Can you love someone and not love what they do? I believe so.

When you remember we are all connected to one another through our humanity, you can love the person without liking what they do. The easiest people to love unconditionally are my children. I can say without any doubt in my mind that I will love and protect them no matter what. I will do whatever it takes to help them grow and become the person they want to be.

That’s another part of it. Letting them be what they want to be. If you haven’t heard by now, I love basketball. I had the privilege of working with Rick Majerus at the University of Utah for two years, and it is there I learned to coach. I love to coach, so naturally when my children were little, I coached their Jr. Jazz teams.

One day during a game my daughter Erin was playing in, I realized she didn’t really love the game. How did I know this? She waved to her father in the stands while running down the floor to get back on defense. I knew right then that she wasn’t really playing for herself. She was playing for me. After the game, I asked her if she liked playing. “Not really,” she said. “Then you don’t have to play anymore,” was my reply. For the rest of the year she was the team manager. It worked out wonderfully because no one could say my daughter got more playing time than anyone else’s.

Erin is an artist and a very good one at that. I’m glad I was able to let her be who she wanted to be, not who I wanted her to be. I see so many parents living their missed chances through their children. I believe that is wrong. Each person has free will to choose how they live their life, even your children.

Just because someone makes different decisions about their life doesn’t mean they are not loveable. I have seen people forgive others for some heinous crimes against themselves or their family. I’m not sure I could and I hope I never have to find out.

How do you get to that kind of place in your heart? How do you get past the anger, the smell, the bad breath, the inconsideration that some have for and show to others. I’m not sure because I am still trying. One thing I do know is that when I remember they are human, it helps me. When I remember they are loved, they are valuable, they are needed in this time and space; it helps me connect to the core of their humanness.

Today and every day, I challenge you to connect on a human level with those around you. Especially the ones that might be a little harder because of the package they arrive in. Start at home with your angry teen or your lost brother. Love them. Love the human being in them. Love their core.

How do you create world peace? You start with you.

Let me know how it changes things for you.

Thank you for listening one more time.

Have a superb day,