Valentine’s Day 2002. This particular day sticks in my memory as it was the day I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I had planned a romantic dinner with the man I was dating, someone I’d been seeing for about six months. Although I tried to put the diagnosis out of my mind for the evening, it would not go away. “You didn’t sign up for this,” I said as I dissolved into tears. I knew the diagnosis was a lot to throw at such a young relationship. “Don’t worry about it,” was Marley’s reply, “I wasn’t looking for a relationship that had to be picture-perfect.” To me, Marley’s response was an act of extravagant love.
Parents and grandparents commit acts of lavish loving kindness all the time, putting aside their own interests and wants to attend to the needs of their children. Teachers, managers, social workers, and people in all walks of life often do the same.
I invite you to notice moments of lavish loving kindness, or extraordinary loyalty and graciousness, that happen around you.
By the way, I married Marley. Who could resist such a gracious and generous soul?
This message was adapted from “Extravagant Love” written by Debra K. Farrington that first appeared in the October 2008 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine. If you are reading “Daily Grace” online, sign up to receive it by email daily.
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