TAKE THIS GIFT AND DON'T ASK WHY...

"I love you, you love me. Take this gift and don't ask why. Cause if you, will let me, I'll take what scares you and hold it deep inside. And if you, ask me why, I'm with you and why I'll never leave. Love will show you everything." Jennifer Love Hewitt lyrics

Love is one of the most precious gifts we could give one another, a gift that should not be thrown around lightly and a gift that should not be taken for granted. When we give love to one another it should be pure and unconditional, and when we receive it we should receive it with thanks and with the promise to cherish it and not tarnish it.

So many of us take love for granted, don't see its value or even recognise it when it stares us right in the face. A child may not realise the love their parents have for them, the sacrifices they make for us, but instead we resent them and push against the love they give us.

Sometimes love is right there for the taking, in someone who is giving us their love, a precious gift, freely but yet we turn away from it. That love is not accepted and therefore not returned and in turn causes great hurt to those who love us as well as ourselves for we never know what we have lost out on.

So a word of caution to the 'love-unwise', open yourself to the possibility of receiving this love from a parent, a friend or someone special. Its one of the greatest gifts you could or ever will receive. Someone who truly loves you will share your dreams, encourage you through those times you want to give up, try to cure your fears and be your greatest fan. With love on your side you will go places you've never been, feel things you've never felt and learn to love in return.

To those who give their love to the 'love-unwise' who do not appreciate or recognise it, don't give up, don't hide your love from the world. For you will ultimately find the right fit, your child will realise the value of parental love and that special one will return your love in full.

So don't be afraid to love, take a risk and you might just be pleasantly surprised. And if you should find yourself loving and it not being reciprocated don't despair and don't give up. When it hurts just push back and keep loving, the end result will be well-worth it.

Weakness within my strength

For those of you who know me, know that when I decide someone is important to me I give them my all, I’m there for them no matter what the situation, I take care of them, support them and pick them up when they fall and fix what is broken. I don’t even have to be asked to help, I’m there and I’m always helping.

Some of you might be thinking this is a good thing and yes to a certain point it probably is a strength, one that I am very proud of most of the time. However, there comes a time when I push too much and too far and it turns into an ugly thing. Most people don’t see it as ugly or as a weakness, but it is, it’s a weakness I struggle with daily and one that ultimately gets me hurt.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being there for the important people in my life, the people who I care about and love, I don’t regret helping them or supporting them through the highs and the lows in their lives. But too often I find myself giving 110% of myself to those around me, even when they don’t want or need me.

Up until recently I didn’t want to see this as a problem, as a weakness, but it has gotten to a point where I was giving too much of myself to those around me, my strength became a weakness, an addiction and it was draining me. The worst part of it all was that I was giving so much of my time and of myself that I forgot to take care of myself in the process.

This is a constant struggle for me to overcome so yes, our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses. And hopefully the day will come where I will want to help someone without it always being an addictive desire.

DNA

The greatest gift I have ever received is the gift of my DNA. God truly blessed me when He chose my parents to be my parents. Growing up I didn’t always feel this way as most teenagers do, but now at the age of 26 and looking back over the years I realise how blessed I truly am.

Some of you might be thinking what on earth is she talking about, some of you might even still feel some “teenage resentment” towards your parents, but you too will grow out of it and realize the gift you have been given. I just hope for those of you still holding a childish grudge against your parents, the rules and boundaries they set or for grounding you that one time which according to you made your life suck that you realize the importance of your parents before time runs out on you. There is no greater loss or regret for a child who has lost his/her parents and even worse is when you left things unsaid.

My parents, Michele and David, are two wonderful individuals who each have a unique set of morals, values, positive attributes as well as some negative characteristics. Yes believe it or not, they are human too and even have some flaws – not that they would always want to admit that to their children, but we’ll let that one slide for now.

I consider myself lucky to have inherited quite a few of their traits, habits, characteristics and flaws which have formed who and what I am fundamentally. Its who they made me, how they raised me, the punishments they gave as well as the encouragement and freedom I got from them that have shaped me into the successful person I am today. Here I am not only talking about my career which has blossomed but I’m talking about me, out there on my ‘own’ tackling this not-so-friendly world we live in and surviving it, its me being the person I am and standing up for what I believe in. I’m out there living the life given to me by my parents, because of my parents and what they have given to me.

The greatest compliment I have ever received was when someone told me I was just like my mom or dad. I could only wish of being half the person or half the parent they are, and if I managed to achieve this I would consider myself a very blessed person.

I am extremely grateful to my parents for the influence they have had on my life, for all the times they put me ahead of them and for all they gave me through the years. My parents have set such a wonderful example to me and my twin sisters.

Thank you for sharing your DNA with me!
Love you always!