Reflection: When Love Grows Most
“You were taught that love is supposed to be patient and kind, and not something that challenges you and changes you and makes you who you are.”
February is the month of love.
Like most humans, I’ve experienced all the things that are often confused with love — the thrill of a crush, the infatuation of a budding relationship, the rush of lust. Fortunately for me, though, I’ve also experienced pure love… and it has helped me distinguish what is from what isn’t.
Really, I’ve experienced all those feelings for the same person: my husband.
The love part, though — that’s the highest of the hanging fruits, and it’s continued to develop through our 14 years together. Actually, I believe our deepest love has shown and grown not through the romantic dinners or getaways, but instead, through our most challenging times.
The times when we’ve hurt one another and had to take accountability, forgive, and transcend. The times when we’ve lost loved ones and had to surrender to nature and accept the circle of life. The times we’ve unraveled hidden unhealed wounds, which led us to understand one another on a new level and nurture the scars with healing energy. Truly, it is the dark times that our love has grown the most.
Years ago, I read Rumi’s quote that “the wound is where the light enters,”and it stuck with me. Whenever I find myself in moments of hardship or challenge, I try to remind myself that there is light on the other side — that more love will come from it all.
This February, remember that, whether you’re opening a box of chocolates or going through a challenge, love is there. Love is always present on the other side.
xoxo, Megan