The Glory of Love

You know the song, The Glory of Love ? Bette Midler sang it beautifully in the movie Beaches. It comes to mind now this season with the stress the holidays can bring. You've got to laugh a little, cry a little. Sometimes let your poor heart die a little. That's the story of, and that's the glory of love.

What does being strong mean to you? I think I am physically strong and fairly strong on the inside. But for the most part, I think being strong means having confidence. I think we are naturally drawn to those who have confidence because then we become more confident.

Celebrities like Bette Midler and Billy Crystal exude strong confidence or they would not be famous! Young children have self confidence without questioning it. As adults, we think we must justify our place in the world and prove we are worthy of someone else's attention.

We all are "in need" of something. We need someone to always be there for us, we need to trust that someone because ultimately they make us feel safe.

My husband and I were lucky enough to be invited to see Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays. Seeing that show really resonated in both of us. When we left the beautiful new Winspear Opera House, Derek said, "I just know I was meant to see that show." We both love our families very much. I think after watching 700 Sundays and hearing Billy Crystal talk about his family we saw a glimpse of what we'd like our future to be: a loving marriage, happy kids, grandkids, and a career doing what we love.

Billy Crystal is 61 and still thinks of his parents as heroes. He calls his show and book 700 Sundays because he figured that's how many weeks he had with his Dad. I think of my Dad who loves his work and quotes from his gather, "If you want to be truly happy, do something you truly love." My Dad comes to talk to my second graders every year to give this message. I think it is profound!

When we lose someone we love, our mind is flooded with all the happy memories we had, and the negative memories magically erase. When Billy Crystal talked about losing his father, it was heartbreaking. I can't imagine losing my Dad at 15 or any age. But loss is something we each have to face. I find myself thinking like Scarlett O'Hara did in Gone with the Wind, "I'll think about it tomorrow!" We all deal with stress differently. Billy Crystal talked about how we are given a deck of cards and that we should appreciate them and be grateful for what we have now.

This time of year it seems natural for most of us to have more of an appreciation for family. We are born into a family that pushes us in ways that prepare us to grow and change for the better. Perhaps our buttons are pushed, our egos are awakened, and maybe we feel we have something to prove. The stress of the holidays and family visits can make us add high expectations to our already full agendas.

We all want everything to be perfect during the holidays! To find the perfect gifts, have the perfect decorations, and prepare the perfect meals.

However, we should remember that there is beauty in imperfection. There is no family that is perfect! Billy Crystal said, "We all have the same basic five relatives." It's interesting how we see this more during the holidays. We all have high hopes and wishes for things to be better or we wouldn't try! It is an absolute must to have a good friend to vent to! Our friends are our free psychiatrists! We "need" them! They give us an ear to laugh in, a shoulder to cry on, and all the attention we need freely. What better gift could there beyond our health? We have to accept the deck of cards we're given and love while we can. I love my family and friends; they make me who I am!

Love is being free of judgment and expectation. And like the song goes...
You've got to give a little and take a little, and (sometimes) let your poor heart break a little. That's the story of, and that's the real glory of love.

My grandparents, who had the real glory of love.