Would You Want Someone to Help You When You're in Need?

I was at Costco with my mom a few weeks ago. She & I were shopping in different parts of the store, when mom suddenly felt dizzy and asked a woman for help. The woman refused to help and left her. When I found mom, she told me about this incident. I was quite upset about it. Who wouldn’t? I'll bet you would be too if this happened to your or your loved ones. So I wondered, maybe next time someone asks us for help, we should. Perhaps our good example may inspire others to do the same.

Commitment

I know this girl who had a boyfriend. When he got her pregnant, he told her to get an abortion or else he was going to dump her. It was at that point she realized he was merely using her. His "love" for her was conditional. He was not committed to her at all. So she told him to take a hike. She later gave birth to a beautiful, baby girl. Unfortunately, she's not alone. There are other women who end up in this situation too. But there is something women can do to prevent this situation from happening to them. Next time a guy asks a girl to "prove" her love to him (i.e. have sex), she should ask him to marry her first. If he simply wanted to use her, then this request should quickly drive him away faster than garlic breath. Women deserve something better. So by requiring commitment first, they greatly reduce the chance of ending up with losers.

Marriages Don't Always Have to End in Divorce

The news this morning mentioned an ad by divorce lawyers that said, "Life's too short. Get divorced." I guess this reflects today's mentality: if there's a problem, get a divorce rather than work things out. This reminds me of a story a friend told me. He knew this couple where the husband was cheating on his wife. Then the guy developed cancer. Amazingly, his wife took care of him & stayed with him. This made him finally realize how much his wife really loved him. He ended his adulterous affair and reconciled with his wife. This shows that there is hope even for difficult marriages. Since, not everyone has marital problems this grave, wouldn't it be great if couples tried to reconcile rather than give up on the relationship? It won't be easy. But nothing worthwhile, such as a marriage, is ever going to be easy.

True Meaning of "Quality of Life"

Many have heard the term "quality of life" before, especially with the case of Terry Schiavo. Some say that if you can't do anything anymore, then you don't have a "quality of life". I discovered the true meaning of "quality of life" when I met a single mother, who adopted a severely disabled & terminally ill child. People thought she was crazy since this requires tremendous sacrifice. But when asked why, she said no one else will want a child who can't do, nor become, anything. But she wants a child, not to get something back , but rather to give. So she adopted the child to give him love. That child died recently and the single mother grieved the loss. But she had no regrets. That's because that child received the most important thing of all - to be genuinely loved. Now that's what it means for both of them to have a "quality of life" - to be able to love and be loved.

What's the True Meaning of Love?

Mention the word love and most think only about sex. Have you ever asked yourself this question? I have. And I discovered the answer when I visited my aunt. Her husband was bedridden and incontinent. Others would have abandoned or divorced him since he was no longer "useful". But not her, she stayed by his side to care for him till he died. Now that's real love - unconditional and self-sacrificing. Don't we all wish to be loved in that way? Then maybe to receive this kind of love, we should also start loving others selflessly.