Granny's Love Doesn't Cost a Thing

By A.M. Stewart

Watching my Granny create hundreds of crocheted pieces of art, then effortlessly give them away made little sense to me as a 7, 10, and 12 year-old child.  “You mean, you just spent all that time making that and your just going to give it away,” I thought.

Often Granny will give anyone, really, anything for any reason.  A friend coming for a visit. A person she hears of that is ill. A new Mother-in-law joining the family. My 5^th grade teacher.  It doesn’t matter. 
She gives her love away freely, beautifully, with no expectation attached, without conditions.  




I didn’t understand her love until I got older and found myself doing the same thing, but in different ways. 

Turns out, the love-well never runs dry.

I learned this lesson so deeply from my Granny – but only through her actions.  I don’t ever remember her saying to me, “We give because we love,” or something mushy like that. She taught me the meaning of life by the love she painted. By the clothes she ironed. By the crocheted gifts she made every student in my 3^rd grade class. By the snacks she gave us when we returned home from school. The breakfast she made, the clothes she laid out for me. Her arms wrapped tightly around me in a rocking chair. 

All with unconditional love just flowing.

She even taught me her delicate art form. It was the summer she helped me crochet my very first project: a small, square pillow, when I realized the tedious nature of the craft. After it was complete, I was beaming with pride and excitement for what had been created. Then, for a moment, I reflected about how much effort and time was poured into this creation … pausing, then noticing:

Granny gives away most everything she makes to others … “Wow,” I thought.  Then came the question, “Why?”
At that time, I couldn’t understand why - or how - someone would give away all their energy, love and hard work.
 
For so long I believed my love-well could run dry. That if, during a dry summer, I gave too much love away, I’d need to wait till spring to give out more. It wasn’t until I understood unconditional love for myself, that I noticed somehow the well never completely runs dry.

When I began to see that love is me, I realized giving love away required no effort because it was simply a true expression of myself. Each simple, small act could bear the fruit of love – even if I was in the midst of a troubling situation – love is there, it is me, we are inseparable.

There was a time (even occasionally now!) my thoughts told me it was difficult to love – because of my past, worry about the future or whatever baggage I happened to be believing at the time. So that was my reality: ‘sometimes it’s hard or impossible to give others love.’  When I no longer believe that thought – and remember the source of love – anything is possible. 

Even, never running out of love is possible.

It’s interesting how situations in the past can teach us lessons in the present if we are open to seeing and hearing.  Unexpectedly, on a spring afternoon, while running in a park, my Granny’s unconditional love hit me. I began to recall all the love she poured into my life. At that moment, I realized she was one of the first people who taught me about the truth of love and compassion. To this day, she gives that same love away, with ease, looking as effortless as breathing.


But what had created this great moment of insight into realizing one of my very first teachers in life? It was simply my openness that showed me a fresh new way to receive life. 

A desire to want to understand more. A willingness to let go.

Now that I know my love-well never runs dry, what reason do I have to withhold my love from anything or anyone?  To withhold love, would be to deny who I am. 

 I see again and again, I am Love. Every human being is love.

My Granny gives her love away freely, beautifully, naturally. It doesn’t cost a thing.

And I am so grateful for it.