Legacy of Love

Each day we live we awaken with the expectation of how events will unfold. Most days are so routine and in some ways "unforgettable" and our minds and soul seem to lose the memory of such days. Then there are those days, where you remember the rich red color of that velvety long-stemmed rose, or the scent of a loved one, or the way the sun touched your face with its light, or the way your heart welled up inside you, those are the significant days...the kind of day you will never forget. Today was one of those days. 

Today we laid to rest a woman who was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. A true gem, one unlike any other, precious, and unique. My Godmother (or Nina as we say in Spanish) was the embodiment of Jesus. She was love. She was so filled with love, she just poured it out on everyone she knew. She truly loved and always made sure you knew how much she loved you. She would tell me how much she loved me, how proud she was of me, how she thought I was so beautiful to look at...and she meant these things. She not only said this to me, but to all who knew her. Upon visiting her, you would be assured that you would be a recipient of love. What a true example of Jesus! To love unconditionally, serve with pleasure, bless and encourage, and see the beauty in each individual. That is exactly what Jesus did. That is exactly how I want to be, like my Nina, who was just like Jesus. What a legacy to leave behind, a legacy of love. 

Because of my Nina's example, I am challenged to live my life to be more like Jesus. Loving on purpose with no strings attached, loving unconditionally no matter if I receive love in return. Loving through acts of service and hospitality, doing those things for others that make them feel cared for. Loving others by seeing the beauty each one possesses and pointing it out to them and helping them to see themselves the beauty they carry and the talents they possess. Loving by encouraging wounded hearts and championing others to become more than they thought they could. Loving by helping others to believe they are created with a purpose for their life, they are needed, they are important, that they are loved. Living a life saturated in the Love of my Heavenly Father. I want to live as my Nina did, being a vessel of God's love.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8