Really. Seriously. Love Thy Neighbor.

I'm well aware that many of you will laugh out loud as you utter the words "Yeah, right," when you read my next sentence. I don't have a lot to say tonight. My doctor changed the dosage on one of my meds a few days ago, and it always takes my body a while to adjust so I'm feeling a little on the puny side this evening. But I do have something on my heart that I need to write ... puny or not puny ... something I must write or I know my already aching head will simply explode.

Most of you know the significance of my Love Thy Neighbor shirt ... gosh, I never would have thought the words on a shirt could play such a huge part in my life. Most of you also know that over the last couple of weeks I've been reminded in a big way of the fragility and brevity of life with two of my friends losing members of their family. You don't know, however, that one of my friends at work is in intensive care tonight fighting a serious illness. You don't know that one of my close friends is dealing with the heartache of divorce or that another is feeling overwhelmed with the busyness of her life. And just as you don't know the things I or my friends are struggling with, I don't know what you or the ones you love are struggling with either. But I do know this ... we need to love each other, friends ... we need to love each other.

This afternoon I sat in a small circle of friends in my office as one of them gave us an update on the condition of our friend who is in ICU. Several of us blinked back tears as we listened, and all of us discussed how we could best help our friend's family. Poignant moments those were, but it was the silence that descended upon our little group ... it was in the silence that we all acknowledged the need to appreciate one another more, to be kinder to one another, to hug more often ... it was in the silence that we all understood that we need to love each other more. 

Life is so very short, friends, and not one of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. Really. Seriously. Love thy neighbor. Love thy family. Love thy friends. And make sure they know you love them ... really ... seriously ... love thy neighbor.