How come some find and sustain love that lasts a lifetime, while others languish perpetually in loneliness and misery?

This year, when my dad was in the hospital for two consecutive months, each night, my mom slept on a hospital chair by his hospital bed in different units, including Intensive Care. As they moved him to six different rooms on four floors, across different wings, she went right along! She never left his side except in the mornings when I picked her up at 5:30 am and took her home to get ready for the day, in time for us to return to the hospital before the medical team did their rounds at 7 am. Undeniably, she was his warrioress, and I quickly learned that he needed her to be there constantly, as her presence and love gave him life! Consistently, she reminded him why he needed to choose himself – not for her sake, but for his. And he leaned in.

A lesson I learned from my mom at an early age is that love protects and is hyper-diligent and steadfast in rough times, and she lived it. During many dire moments, she reminded him that he was more than enough!

For those who believe they are not enough and question their worthiness, this is for you. And those who believe love is on their side, constantly pursuing them like a bee after nectar, this is for you, too.

Chosen

We all desire to be a chosen one.
Yet we often forget who we most need to choose us.
Being chosen by a team coach or business leader is exhilarating, but they’re not the most critical.
The one we desperately need to feel chosen by is the one with whom we spend our entire lives.
That person is us.

It is apparent when someone has chosen themselves.
Because they don’t hide their imperfections or couch themselves behind invulnerability.
Neither do they cage those they love out of fear of loss.
Instead, they realize that we cannot coerce others to love or not love us.
So, they let go and cultivate the capacity to give and receive love.

Armed with this capability, they choose to love despite the risk of rejection or abandonment.
And they pour themselves out, confident that they will not be empty, as love is the river that never runs dry. Therefore, they make peace with themselves and life – past, present, and future, knowing life is a journey, not a race.
And like love, life was never meant to be lived in an emotional cage.
Life is for the living to live well.

Choosing myself is a deliberate decision I make every day because living with an autoimmune condition, I know that I cannot afford not to. Friend, none of us can afford not to choose ourselves.

For you and to you,
Aké

Image credit: Pexels | Kabookmpics