I asked a three year old the other
day what she thought the word “love” meant. We were playing “Frozen.” She
invented this game and is very diligent in this game. Here’s how it works. She
is Elsa and I’m Anna. She freezes my heart which results in me falling to the
ground in a dramatic form that varies depending on how energetic I am that day.
After a minute, she walks over to me and fakes some tears over my frozen body.
This, of course, leads to me “waking up” from the dead. The game always ends
the same way: us hugging and her telling me she loves me. While the first few
times melts my heart, (pun totally intended) come the 20th time in
an afternoon, I question how much this so claimed love really means to her. So
I asked my favorite little ice queen what that word meant to her. She gave
examples off the bat. “It’s like when Elsa loves Anna. It’s wanting ice cream.
It’s like when I am nice to my baby sister.” But after some pushing she says in
her best matter-of-fact voice, “Love is family, Becca.”
That stuck with me. Love is family?
Oh boy… Because there are times where I’m positive that can’t be true. I let
that phrase ring through my ears for a long time. Yes, I may have been
pondering life too intensely based off a three-year-old’s musing. But eventually,
I forgot about it. I've been set up in Colorado for the summer, but was
fortunate enough to do some traveling around the States this summer as well.
Some with family, some with friends. However,
my favorite of these trips has dropped me currently on a plane flying away from
Alaska and once again alone with my thoughts.
I can proudly say I've been around
the world. I've got serious gaps in seeing the entire world, but that will come
with time. But it wasn't until I went back to McCarthy that I remembered where
my heart truly lies. How could I have almost forgotten? My face almost tore
from smiling when I saw my beloved valley. My heart happily beat in my chest
seeing the people I love the most. My spirit was finally at peace. I did some
amazing things like playing with float planes, ice climbing, swimming on
glaciers, climbing underneath glaciers and such. I made new friends while
kissing and hugging old friends.
But my favorite moment of the whole trip was sitting with Tessa, who, if you don’t know, is my sister from a past life that somehow got mixed up into another family. Fortunately, we found each other again in this life. We were sitting on a sunny day in downtown McCarthy just watching our little town hustle and bustle. I asked her what it was about this place that brought us back. Why did we love it? She casually responded, “Well, it’s where we can always go when everything is wrong. It just fixes our hearts and soul.” There. There it was. It’s as if I had always known this, but for some reason I had been searching for the words which finally unexpectedly found me. We discussed the power and comfort behind having this safe haven. A safe haven that will restore every ounce of your soul when you return from conquering the world. That is powerful.
But my favorite moment of the whole trip was sitting with Tessa, who, if you don’t know, is my sister from a past life that somehow got mixed up into another family. Fortunately, we found each other again in this life. We were sitting on a sunny day in downtown McCarthy just watching our little town hustle and bustle. I asked her what it was about this place that brought us back. Why did we love it? She casually responded, “Well, it’s where we can always go when everything is wrong. It just fixes our hearts and soul.” There. There it was. It’s as if I had always known this, but for some reason I had been searching for the words which finally unexpectedly found me. We discussed the power and comfort behind having this safe haven. A safe haven that will restore every ounce of your soul when you return from conquering the world. That is powerful.
It’s not just the place though. In
fact, I’m continually wondering how the power balances between the people and
the place. I’m not sure I’ll ever know. Because every day I walked around
watching people I love. I was sitting around a campfire watching a group of
people. People completely holding my heart stood in that circle laughing and
enjoying life. Does one’s life get better?
Suddenly, my little ice queen’s
words rang in my head. “Love is family.” She is so wise sometimes. However, I
think as we get older we realize our family isn't always connected by blood.
I've been so blessed with my wonderful blood relatives. I am not denying that.
But I've also been so blessed with the best “family.” There is no other word
for these people. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood,
but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family
grow up under the same roof.” I love these people and know they are part of my
family. We did not grow up together, but that does not change it. These are the
people who wake me from nightmares, who promise to just sit with me in my pain,
who smile in my joy, who love my heart despite scars I know, without a shadow
of a doubt, they will rejoice in happy times and help fix my heart in dark
times. I pray they know the same goes for them.
I sometimes question my favorite
three-year-old’s definition of love. I want so badly to show her that I love
her. I want her to know I will respect her, join her in happy times, and also
sit with her in dark times. But more than anything, I want her to know she will
always have “family.” Where ever and who ever that family ends up being, I want
her to know she is loved. I hope this goes as a reminder for you as well. I
pray we never let those family members slip by us. Cherish and love them. Tell
them. Show them every day. Let them help build you a safe haven that can
restore your soul when you return from conquering the world. I can only thank
God my safe haven does that for me. Smile and let the warmth of that love
envelope you. It’s a beautiful thing.
