Last week I went to see the Theory of Everything, the film about Stephen Hawking, and whilst it can’t be described as a feel good movie, it was a story about love,sheer determination and dedication.

On discovering Stephen’s diagnosis and prognosis, his girlfriend Jane who became his first wife tells him that she loves him and will not just go away as he demands her to do. The sheer determination in her face and voice was so powerful. At this point in the film I smiled to myself as I thought about how forcible the emotion love is. With love we believe that anything is possible. We can take on the world.

As we know there are many different types of love, there are the interpersonal relationships we have with our family, children and close friends. The love we have for our children is usually described as an unconditional love, then we have romantic love for our partners, one which is usually based on passion and falling in love, although it is said that this stage of love doesn’t last but later develops into attachment and familiarity of a different kind which is lasting. We also have love of our pets and some people have love of inanimate objects such as cars and houses.   There is the love of books, music and places all the things we enjoy. The list of things we can and do love is endless.

When I decided to start my Blog it was designed to be a happy and positive place to visit, it is about love and happiness but I don’t think anyone can ignore what is going on in the world at the current time and I can’t help thinking that in these turbulent times how the hatred is breeding more hatred. I wonder if everyone just took a step back and how different the world might if we all loved our neighbour and spread love rather than hatred.

I know it isn’t as simple as that, but when I was in my twenties I worked for Thomson Holidays which offered employees excellent training and one aspect of the course was dealing with difficult customers and their complaints. I always remember this because we were shown a video featuring John Cleese it was called “Behaviour Breeds Behaviour” and it showed an angry couple complaining about something and in true John Cleese fashion he also got angry back. As you can imagine, this did nothing to diffuse the situation, in fact it made it worse. We were then shown a second version where another actress listened to the angry couple and kept a very calm manner, this then calmed down the angry couple and a solution was then found.

Remarkably following the three days of violence in Paris last week, the world united and came together yesterday to march against violence and racism, with over 40 world leaders joining forces. Marches also took place in other French and European cities and around the world. The marches were quiet, peaceful and respectful. There is still a lot of love in the world and it is reassuring how everyone has pulled together during these violent times.

I don’t usually quote from the Bible as I want my Blog to be unbiased and reached by as many readers as possible but I found this very interesting and I think it really does sum up love rather nicely.

From the New Testament, 1st Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 4-7:

4. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Remember, love is free, it cannot be controlled or bought, it really is a gift so let’s use it and be kind to all we come into contact with. Everyone deserves some love in their lives.

I would love to hear from you if you have seen the film or if you have any comments about love or any of the above.

Let’s all make a conscious effort to try and spread some love and happiness, especially during these turbulent and unsettled times.