Little Steps In Love

"We choose love. It doesn't just happen." I heard someone once say. I'm not sure what it was based on, but you know what?  Sometimes it does just randomly happen.

We choose to love might have been a better way to put it. We choose to love. And we chose to do it by taking small steps of love every time we are given the opportunity. (which is basically, anytime there is another being around).

We choose to love whenever there is an opportunity for us to do it. "A smile, a handshake, a word of encouragement, a phone call, a card, an embrace, a kind greeting, a gesture of support, a moment of attention, a helping hand, a present, a financial contribution, a visit ... all these are little steps toward love." writes Henri Nouwen.

Each time we choose to love, we are giving another an opportunity to receive love.

​This is a choice, no doubt. But not always. If I smile at you, you don't have to smile back or accept it with your heart. The simple fact that I smiled and you saw long enough for it to register...love just happened. You can reject this loving gesture or you can accept it, but once you see it happen there is no turning back. 

Each little step of love "is like a candle burning in the night. It does not take the darkness away, but it guides us through the darkness. When we look back after many small steps, we will discover that we have made a long and beautiful journey."

So yes, we choose to love so others can choose our love. Just a thought. You can accept it or not.

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