Not Enough Love

It is ironic that this is going to be the blog to follow my previous post. In my previous blog I talked about how I am loved. Being loved by others has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. I have no question that my parents loved me growing up. I have no question that my wife and kids love me unconditionally. I have no question that my brother and friends love me. Most of all, I have no question that my heavenly Father loves me. I feel loved by so many so often. I can not understand how it would feel to have never experienced love.

+ + + + +

Earlier this week, I took a group of young professionals on a city walk. When we got to the Five Points building we bumped into one of my good friends Sheila. It was great to see her and to learn that she was staying in a shelter while she awaits a bed to open up in a rehab. I told her how excited I was to learn she was going to embark on the journey of recovery. Shelia then shared with my group for a few minutes and we parted ways.

Thursday morning I received a phone call at my office from Shelia. She explained to me that shortly after we parted ways earlier in the week, Sheila began experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath. She went to the hospital to be seen and was admitted.

Sheila then said, “Can you come see me Drew?” She explained how she was very lonely in the hospital as she had no family or friends that cared to come see her. I told her I would work some things out and come see her later in the afternoon.

Later that day my friend Courtney and myself went to go see Shelia. After visiting with her for a few minutes Shelia began to tell a story of how she and a man named John first met. John is an extremely compassionate man and helps many homeless here in the city.

As she finished her story she began to say that John was the first person in her entire life that ever saw her as she had value. She said, “He saw me as a person to be respected. He had compassion for me. He reached out to me.”

I then stopped Shelia and asked, "Do you think ‘Love’ would be a good word for what you are trying to say?" Her eyes then filled with tears as she looked back at me and said, "Yes, that is exactly the word to use. He loved me. Just like you love me Drew." She went on to say that between John and me, we were the only people who had ever “loved” her.

How can this be? How can it be that this lady has been through so much of her life feeling unwanted, uncared for and unloved?

Mother Teresa once said, “The greatest disease in the west is not TB or leprosy. It is being unwanted, uncared for, and unloved.” The disease that Mother Teresa so eloquently pointed out is spreading all too fast. There are countless Shelia’s in the world.

As a result of what Sheila shared, my passion to put more love in the world has intensified. My heart breaks for people who have not experienced real, true, unconditional, Love. There is simply not enough love in the world.

Friends, It is up to us to put or love in motion towards other people. It is only through us pouring out our love onto others that they will experience love themselves. It has to happen through us.

Share your love with someone today. Reach out to someone you would not normally. Let’s together be the cure for this disease. 

I Am Loved

March 17^th is always a day that I dread. It is the day my brother passed away in 2003. So, when I woke up this morning I woke up with a heavy heart as I deeply miss my big brother. As if dealing with that reality were not enough my morning was soon about to become much more interesting.

As I was driving into work I saw a homeless friend of mine walking toward the city. He was still a long way away from downtown so I offered to give him a ride. As we got close to the city on Marietta Street we came to an area where the left lane of traffic is always trying to turn left so I got in the right-hand lane to go around the turners. About that time I looked up and realized that there was a car stopped in that lane. I immediately slammed on my breaks, but it was too late.

So there I sat sad, angry, confused, upset, and hurting.

It was the events that were about to unfold next that made me come to the realization that “I am loved”. I immediately called my wife after the accident.  She then called my boss and co-workers to let them know what had happened.

As soon as my friend Rob found out I was in an accident he immediately hopped in his car and headed my way. He was there before the police. He gave me a hug and told me he was there for me and if I needed anything to let him know.

After about two hours of dealing with the police etc… I finally made it to work. I checked my facebook and saw that some fifteen people had responded to my headline with words of encouragement. Others had sent me texts and e-mails to let me know they were thinking about me today. Messages continued to pour in all day long. One friend even offered to take me home if I needed a ride. Several of the staff members at SHO made a point to give me a hug. The love that people poured out on me was humbling.

You know… It’s funny… the more love I put out in the world the more love is poured out on me. Love is the only thing I know of that will return one hundred fold.

Thank you to everyone for living love towards me in my time of need. 

An Easy Way to LL - GiftCardGiver.com

About a week ago Alicia told me about a new charity that collects old gift cards that have not been completely used. They collect all the cards and organize them in secure bins by company name. When they obtain a reasonable mass of dollars in gift cards (between $100-$500) they give those cards toward a project, person or organization that can best use that gift card for a significant need.

Once I became aware of this idea I went to my wallet to see if I had any left over gift cards. Between my wallet and my desk I had four different gift cards. I put them in an envelope and mailed them to the specified address.

What an easy way to Live Love.

Thanks to Jeff and the crew that put GiftCardGiver.com together. 

Somebody Is Listening

As most of you know I started this blog about six months ago. I have enjoyed putting my thoughts together and putting them out there for the world to see. As much as I enjoy writing, I equally enjoy knowing that the words I share can impact people’s hearts and minds. It feels good to know that others can learn from the lessons and experiences that I have been learning on my journey.

The other day I was contacted by the moderator for the Need Magazine blog. The man explained to me that he had come in contact with mine and Alicia’s blogs and that he was interested in having us do some writing for the their blog. I immediately told him that we would be honored as I have been a reader of the Need blog for sometime myself. Their mission is, “We are not out to save the world but to tell the stories of those who are.” They run a quarterly magazine that is absolutely amazing. I got my first copy yesterday.

I am deeply honored to be a contributor on the Need blog. My first blog went up on their site yesterday. Alicia will be writing once a quarter and I will be doing the other eight.

It is good to know that somebody is listening. Thank you to everyone who has been reading my thoughts these past few months.

Please visit my post on the Need Magazine Blog. Also, check out NeedMagazine.com to learn more about subscribing.

Love Starts At Home

On Sundays I come to SafeHouse Outreach and open the building so the morning service and feeding can take place. As of lately I have been bringing my daughter Emma with me and while the service is happening we usually go for a walk to one of the Atlanta parks or playgrounds. This past week while we were on our way to SHO I noticed that Emma had picked out one of her Barbies to bring with us. Out of an attempt to make conversation with a six year old, I asked Emma why she picked that particular Barbie to bring with her. That was when she explained to me that she loved this particular Barbie because Alicia, my wife, had made all the clothes for the doll. She then said to me, “there is a lot of love in this one.”

When I turned and looked at the Barbie I noticed that the clothes were in fact hand made. Alicia and Emma had sometime ago made Barbie clothes out of old socks and fabrics we had around the house. This particular Barbie was made with a fabric that had lots of hearts in the design. I suppose that is what my six year old was referring too, but I found a deeper meaning in her words.

Alicia, who is a stay at home mom had taken the time to help Emma make dresses for her Barbies. That may not seem like a big deal to some, but to Emma it meant the world.

Love is often times spelt T-I-M-E. I am always confused by people who love the whole world, but loose their family in the process. I must admit that I have tendencies in my own life to do that very thing. If am going to show love to complete strangers then I must first start by making sure those closest to me are loved.

I think Mother Teresa said it best when she said, “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

Friends, I hope you will learn this lesson with me. Live Love at home… Then look to see how your love can make a difference elsewhere.