The Grasshopper presented this post-holiday gift: “If you have ever experienced love with someone, you still love them at some level.”

I will defer to Jerry Stocking‘s one word definition of love: Inclusion.

My guess is that pure love is inclusion of everyone. I’m not sure any of us are at that level but as the old adage goes: “Shoot for the moon and settle for the stars.”

So that brings me back to “levels of love.”

Even if you profess to hate someone that you once loved, that love still exists at some level even if you can’t consciously include them any longer. The short version of this is: “Love never dies.”

It’s always present but not always recognized or acknowledged. Reminds me of a sad story . . .

Years ago, I attended my grandfather’s funeral with my mother. She professed her whole life that she hated him. She would cite chapter and verse why he was such a vile person worthy of loathing. I didn’t understand it when she cried at his funeral. I do now.

At some level she loved him and the sense of finality of his earthly existence let that love surface, even if for a brief moment.

Love is present. We just have to create a space for it to fill. If you find someone “unworthy” of your love, make the effort to create a space within you for that person. You may find that making a space for them is followed by a level of love. I’m not saying you should love them; I’m only suggesting to create a space for them. That way, a level of love has a chance of coming through.

If you can’t do it for them, do it for you. Any level of love feels better than hatred, so act in your own self-interest and create a space. It just may bring a smile to your face.

All the best,

John