I know a young woman. Her partner died and she remarried. Her previous in-laws had been very supportive through everything she had been through with their difficult son. They stood by her through her pregnancy; rejoiced in their grandchild; grieved with her when their son died; supported her and the child in the aftermath. They were a wonderful little, untraditional family.

Then she remarried and had other children in her new family. Little by little, she distanced herself from the previous in-laws – to the point of coldness. This led to no little confusion on the part of the in-laws.

This is what I call the myth of finite love.

There are people who seem to have a limited capacity of love to give and maybe even to receive. Maybe it’s a skewed sense of loyalty to the “new” family or friends that makes them veer away from the “old” family or friends. I don’t know. Maybe they don’t feel worthy of unlimited or limitless love.

Let us be the ones who are capable of unlimited love. We give love away in great quantities. The more people who are drawn into are circle, the more people receive our love. As children come into the family, or stepchildren, or foster children, let them all feel the warmth of the love we all deserve. Can we create that small pocket of heaven on earth for our small circle?