Surprised by Love
Notice the connection we have with one another that transcends time.
By Anne Marie Bennett from Through the Eyes of SoulCollage® | Posted 6/1/21
Many years ago I boarded a plane as part of my consulting job with an educational software company. After several years of travel, plane rides had become lonely and routine, but then I met Michelle, a chubby toddler who was sitting across the aisle from me with her mother. She had light brown curls and wide, intelligent hazel eyes. Curious and adorable, she answered my simple questions and asked her own with amazing clarity and vocabulary for one so young.
When the plane landed I waved good-bye to her and went on my way. Inside the busy terminal, I planted myself in front of the board of monitors looking for my connecting flight information. Business as usual. Another airport. Another airplane to board. Always going somewhere.
Then all of a sudden, from several feet behind me, I heard Michelle's thin, young voice again. This time she was hollering, "There's that lady! I want to give her a hug!"
I quickly turned around and there she was: little Michelle, arms flung wide, rushing towards me like a tiny divine whirling dervish. I can't remember another time when I was so surprised by love, so astonished at the exuberant, free-flowing, unexpected rush of it. As she clasped her arms around my waist, I was very aware of being held by a Love and a Grace that was bigger than the two of us.
It may have looked to passers-by like I was hugging her, but I know differently. That child was holding me!
Time for Reflection
Let yourself be Surprised by Love this week. Be aware of strangers as you go about your business. Make eye contact with a few of them. Notice how you are connected, even though you know nothing about them.
Be open to the possibility of surprising someone else with love this week. Give a smile to a stranger, send a card to a friend who's low, or surprise someone you love with a hug or a few moments of uninterrupted time.
Take a look at the Community suit of your SoulCollage® deck. Is there someone you love or have loved, who is missing? Create a card for them this month to honor them in your deck.
Learn more: SoulCollage® Instructions
©2015 Anne Marie Bennett. All rights reserved.
Through the Eyes of SoulCollage®
Anne Marie Bennett is a published author, self-taught artist, and SoulCollage® Facilitator. more
This series is excerpted with permission from Through the Eyes of SoulCollage®: Reflections on Life Via the SoulCollage Lens by Anne Marie Bennett.