I’m back! Sorry for the lapse in writing—but that’s what an unexpected twelve-day hospital stay can do to a writer’s mojo! More about that later, but I do want to share with you a special letter I wrote to my daughter and her husband as newlyweds that may be timely for those in the midst of wedding (or anniversary) celebrations. The words I wrote to them are still the words I strive to live by in all my relationships.

Brittany and Brian,

From this moment on, you will face life together as you have never faced it before. You are a couple, committed to one another for life. It is a special, sacred commitment. I hope you can find guidance from this one simple thought:

Let your love be larger.

Let your love be larger than adversity, than issues, than people or circumstances that threaten to pull you apart. Let it prevail, triumph, overcome.

Release the urge to be right, the urge to win, the urge to remember each time you have been right and won. And let your love be larger.

Love is all the things the Good Book tells us—patient, kind, understanding—but it is also the most powerful force we have. Use it wisely. Cherish it. Sustain it and nurture it.

Before you act, ask, is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it loving? And let your love be larger.

And as your circle of friends and family expand, let love teach you that it has more than one way to be expressed. That judging others’ loving ways is a useless exercise. A more important action is to let your love be larger—and learn from it. What can a different expression of love teach you about others? Respect it, honor it, and open your heart a little wider to include it, even though it may be so foreign to you.

And with your children, remember that they are a result of your love for one another. Your love came first, then your shared love for them.

Let love overshadow the small stuff, embellish the large stuff, and wrap a layer of warmth around the cold realities that you may face.

Love is what we’re meant to do, you know. Share our lives with another. Love can’t fix all of life’s hard times, but it sure can make whatever journey you are on, richer, fuller, and most importantly, shared.

Love each other despite—because you can.

And always let your love be larger.

This letter is also the June 30th (Happy Anniversary, Brittany and Brian!)  reading in Morning Fuel, along with these questions for reflection: How about you?

How can you, ‘let your love be larger’ today?

P.S. If you’d like a copy of “Let Love Be Larger” CLICK HERE

P.P.S. Honored to spend time with Dr. Bob Dove on his Your Spiritual Journey podcast.