Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Arthritic Hearts

Happy Valentine’s Day.  Though, I admit it’s a little late, the sentiment is still the same.  A few days ago, I wrote the following for friends and family…

These holidays seem to strike me as the confluences of emotions are displayed in front of me.  The excitement of the loved spouse, the friend who is remembered, the parents and grandparents who share this day with a special card or dessert; watching their joy flit about is a wonderful thing.  Others lock their hearts away this day, trying to shove it deep down into their shoes or possibly encase it in ice so that it doesn’t hurt, doesn’t cry out for someone to care.  How many others are numb, just another day, too injured to care to display caring for someone else.  Hope, hurt, dreams, flowers, chocolate – they all get mixed into the swirls of heart displays and flower bouquets that were being sold.
I’ve had Valentine’s Days where I absolutely adored being the sweetheart of someone special, and others where I would have been quiet content to drown my sorrows in a gallon of some excellent ice cream and a good movie.  This year, I found myself seeing the day a bit differently.  Instead of it being about cards, flowers (which are always lovely and happily received), I was struck by the way we act as sponges for love.  We, creatures made with a need to be loved, and yet are often so unskilled at loving one another.
Maybe we have lost sight of the real need behind a day to celebrate love.   Perhaps we should celebrate it more often.  Recognizing the work of the mother and father providing for their family and acknowledging their effort, it takes effort.  Enjoying the smear of cake on a child’s face along with a sugary grin, get your camera handy.  Cleaning snow off the car, making the pot of coffee, folding the laundry, or just saying thank you; what would our world look like if we just stopped long enough to recognize and celebrate?  It’s kind of interesting question isn’t it.  It just might change the world around you.
So, on that note – Happy Valentine’s Day.

One of the comments I heard was a conversation between my “moms”, my mom and my friend who is like a second mom to me.  Somehow in there, with a bit of teasing about age, there was mentioned an arthritic heart.  That phrase, arthritic heart, really stuck with me.  I’ll admit freely that I borrowed (um… okay I stole it – but I told them), those words, arthritic heart. 
Arthritis, that painful inflammation of the joints can afflict any age.  But, what if we had arthritis of the heart?  Imagine that your heart is inflamed, choked off with stiffness and soreness.  Stretching is limited, not allowing free movement.  Pain, coming with movement, comes without movement.  Still, repositioning of the heart is limited trying to avoid future throbbing, seeking out that place where the hurt is temporarily stilled. 
I think sometimes that my heart is arthritic, that it doesn’t want to move.  Sometimes, it is sore with hurts I see around me or happen to me.  Sometimes, I just want to go back to bed, pulling a favored blanket up over my head and blocking out the light, pulling in the comfort of the heated darkness.  But, eventually the blanket is pulled down, the blinds are opened and it’s time to face the world.  After all, arthritis really isn’t helped by sitting still for long times, but through gentle movement.  Pull off the blanket, open the window blinds, and stretch out your heart.  Just maybe, you might make today a Valentine’s day for someone else and they might make it for you.

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