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Yesterday I heard this said.  A young grandson at home with his loving mother.  The mother folding clean clothes.  The young child helping.  And then.

“Me not big enough to do this, me not mummy yet.”

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Yesterday I heard this said.  A gathering of family for our loved uncle from another country.  The conversation about when next they might all meet.  And then …

”I don’t know.  I tend not to make longterm plans at my age.”

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A young child and an aging uncle both with a charming and unassuming contentment – both separated by a mere eighty-four years of living.  We can live each day, year, decade like that.

We can – but we are taught not to.

We can live each day, year, decade like that – but we think that too aimless.  We should have purpose.  We should have ambition.  We should become someone.  We should make our mark to leave our mark.  We should make something of ourselves.  Make our time here mean something.  Make our passing mean something.  And forget that we can, do and already have.

Our two year old grandson has already.  He does day after day after day.  Our eighty-six year old uncle has already.  He is day after day after day.  Their legacy – their mark – their meaning – is both HUGE and simple:

They love and they are loved.

Our grandson rushes across the room when we meet, a crushing hug and “Dandad … dandad!”  Our uncle creaks smartly from the chair for a warm embrace and “So good to see you again … so very good to see you!”

I am loved and I love.

Who loved first?  Who loves best … loves most .. loves last … ?  What kind of love … conditional or unconditional … ?  Is this love of choice or without choice … ?  Is it authentic … will there be pain or loss … ?  Am I kidding myself with all this bible stuff … all this GSHJ stuff …  who is right and why am i wrong …?   Why even worry about sin .. about is it true or not … ?  Why the burn-out … why the recognition … why the finding the answer … when the answer was and is obvious all along … ?  Why do we get caught up in this time-wasting twaddle?  Why do we learn to put others down … to make others wrong so we can be right … ?

Why do we live young and live old with contentment of loving and being loved …

Yet in “the middle” chase love like we chase everything else – so that it all fits into an overfull life we are taught to overfill with “meaning” and “purpose” and “goals”?  Why do we teach ourselves to forget the simplicity of “love” – in order to find (again) that love is all we really need?   Why are we taught to pursue love and forget to just love and be loved?  Why do we need to find more than love – so that we can eventually find (again) the contentment of simply loving and being loved?

I stopped making resolutions some years ago.  I think they are of “the middle” bit.  I think they distract from living.  I think they actually keep me from living and loving.  They keep me living the taught life, the find my life, the chase true love, the fit in love with all else life.  The life too busy.  The stuck life.

I live to be content.

I think this wisdom – offered by both young and old … offered freely and without any teaching … without any agenda and completely unknowingly – lacks for nothing.

They love. They are loved.  I love. I am loved.

There is no “the middle” bit.

Not unless I allow.

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