Open Heart

Love is what we are, when we drop all the things that stand in the way.

Karen Maezen Miller

I am home again after spending a week with my father in Buffalo. Ironically, he also went home today after spending nearly a week in the hospital after having quadruple by-pass surgery.

Open Heart surgery.

It's been such an intense experience, and I find myself returning over and over again to thoughts about what really matters in life.

Love.

It really is that simple to me. And that complex.

I've been traveling a lot lately....in the last month to NY City, Charleston, SC, and Buffalo.I have met so many people in my travels..some for only a moment in passing, others for much longer conversations. I have found that my attention to even the tiniest interaction with another human is significant. How I connect with a stranger at the airport, a nurse in the hospital room, an educator in a classroom all matter to me. In fact, pretty equally. It's that love thing. I can't look at another human and not feel a sense of connection.

This has been amplified for me this year for a number of reasons. Obviously because my father is ill and my love for him is enormous. Also because I turned 50 this year and this was a riveting experience. I made a commitment to living this life as big as I could.

I couldn't do that without a wide open heart.

It matters to me. It's so simple. It all comes down to big love.

Love big.

However you want to say it. It's not hard to do and it really matters.

And in honor of my dad, I invite you to open your heart.

Happy Valentine's Day