I Love
With my whole Heart
With my whole Mind
With my whole Soul
Impurfectly

I do most things Impurfectly…
I eat an imperfect diet
I work out imperfectly
And my body looks quite imperfect, as a result.
I keep my apartment, imperfectly.
I arrange my schedule imperfectly.

I remember once I was walking through the Lobby of a Hotel Somewhere
There was a Conference going on — I don’t know what it was for —
They had a table of Buttons, which read,
“I HAVE THE COURAGE TO BE IMPURFECT”
The woman at the table crossed the Lobby to hand one to me.
I guess I must have looked Particularly Imperfect that day.

I teach young people.
I coach and manage and mentor them
I Love them
Impurfectly
I can be very tough on young people
Because Life can be tough and I do not want them deceived
by the overabundance of technological creature comforts
which their parents have provided them.
I made a comment to one recently which hurt him.
He told me he would never forget what I said.
It was an Impurfect Moment.
No doubt many parents, including my own, have known some of these.

I sat the Angry Young Man down and we talked about it.
I made clear where I was coming from
And the Lesson I was attempting to teach him.
I explained that even teaching may be done Impurfectly.
And while I have Great Love for this Young Person
I seem to only have the capability to Love one way — Impurfectly.

I apologized
And there was Forgiveness.
I grew in understanding.
So did he.
We Grew in Humanness.
Our Relationship deepened.
Some pain.
Some tears.
Unintended hurt
Led to Communication.
And Communication Led to Happiness
And Laughter.

The Bible tells us,
“Love is Patient. Love is Kind…”
But this not my experience.
I find Love Messy and Embarrassing.
It does not go easily. It does not go slow…
And sometimes I feel like a Total Bitch.
One Day I may know a perfect Love
But I don’t think so.
I know what perfect Love is because I see Lots of Musicals.
But I am not really made for it.
I say the wrong things.
I do the wrong things.
And I can’t Sing.

Still I am Truly Grateful for the Love that comes.
And what if that which we perceive as “Impurfect”
Is in fact the True Nature of Love?

Impurfectly Beautiful
Beautifully Impurfect
In all its forms…
With My Partner…
With My Mother…
With My Students…
With My Work Colleagues…
With My Family…
With My Nephews and Niece…
With My Best Friend…
With My Readers…
All Impurfect.

Love teaches me.
And helps me Grow.
And unlike Bodies and Apartments, I don’t know anyone who has a Better One.
It is suitable to me — this Impurfect Love.
It makes me feel More Human
The Mistakes are a part of it
It Costs Something
And it is worth what is asked for it
Even if that is sometimes
My dignity,
My pride
My sense of reason.

And as I grow older
I begin to understand a little bit more about Love
I begin to think that with all of its struggles
And Questions
And Confusions
And Apologies
And MisGivings
And Forgivenesses
And Terrible Timing
And Words I wish I could take back
This Impurfect Love
Is the Most Perfect thing in the World
Just as it is
Beautiful

The secret lies in Accepting its seeming Impurfection as its True Beauty
And the Willingness to receive this Beautiful Impurfection from whence it comes.
Say “Yes!”
Say “I’m Sorry!”
Say “I Will”
Say “I Do”
Don’t Stop
And Don’t Give Up
This Big Clunky kinda’ barbed-wirey too-heavy-to-carry
pile of Feathers and Angel Dust
That we have some Idea needs to be
only with one Very Special Person in some Very Special Way
Is actually for Everyone
The Whole World
And it is neither smooth
Nor comfortable
Nor necessarily going to arrive in any form we might expect…
Isn’t it Funny what Unlikely Lovers we find ourselves?
Isn’t it odd how our capability of love is only ever introduced to us by someone whom we might initially have never associated with the word, “Love?”
And how it is only in Giving it Away that we can actually Feel it?
That is the True Miracle of it.
Love is Not a Feeling.
Love is an Action.
And it Might just be the Very Reason we are here.

Find Ways to Give More Love.

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