Loyalty

loy·al·ty  

/ˈloiəltē/

Noun

1. The quality of being loyal to someone or something.
2. A strong feeling of support or allegiance
   
   
   Synonyms
   allegiance - fidelity - faithfulness - devotion - faith

This is a word of the utmost importance when dealing with those we claim we care for. Whether it be family or friends. To know no loyalty is to not have morals or values.

Anything short of loyal is erroneous, and we don't need those people in our life.

“We have to recognize that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.”

Anything worth having is worth fighting for, worth being loyal to. If another is willing to give their all to you then give something back. Why wouldn't one want to give back?

Don't expect to keep closing doors in the faces of those who have been loyal to you and expect them to keep coming back for more. Yes, we may keep coming back for a little while but eventually we tire of the undeserved treatment administered by the one who fooled us.

Why would we throw loyalty to the wind and watch it scatter about? Isn't it a characteristic that is hard to obtain? Not many can be dubbed as a loyal person. Grab hold and cling to that title because usually it means you have earned it. It should be flattering to us when we are referred to as a loyal friend.

Unfortunately there are those out there who claim they will stand by you no matter what but then when the going gets tough they tuck their tail and run. Why? Because the lives of others are merely a game to them, they prey on the vulnerability of their target, they are not who they present themselves to be in the end.

If only one could single those people out before becoming involved with them on any level. We would sure save a lot of time wasted on them. To be loyal one must have heart for their fellow man. Not just family and friends but also for strangers, those people we have absolutely nothing to gain from.

If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans because a lot of humans will treat us unworthy to defend whereas an animal would lay down his life for us. True?

Loyalty. Is it something only dogs know? When I think of it, I wonder if I would rather have it than love. Whereas love is often an over-used word and an unpredictable feeling, the other is nothing but dependability.

“But what are loyalty and caring really worth? "To me? Everything."

Written by: Belinda Taylor 8-20-13
Random Thoughts

Loss

Human beings tend to measure loss in many different ways. Loss of a loved one, loss of job, loss of relationship, even loss of ones self. The impact of each loss varies from person to person.

One may be irreversibly destroyed by a situation while another may be more likely to chalk up a loss and move on to another avenue of their life.

“Anyone who has lost something they thought was theirs forever finally comes to realize that nothing really belongs to them.” ― Paulo Coelho

No truer words have ever been spoken. We are merely loaned the pleasures of life we indulge in. As quickly as they come, they go. Some stay for a while and some go soon after we realize them but the pain of losing either is of equal greatness.

Healing depends on how long and how deep we wallow in our misery. Definitely each person requires a different amount of time to adjust and heal from their losses. Some never do and wander aimlessly though life without ever trying to measure their loss and store it away.

“eventually, everything goes away.”, “You never know what you have till you've lost it.” “Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive.”

Indeed to be alive is to lose. If we never lost anything then we would never understand or appreciate the things we have in life that are true and dear to our hearts.  Without loss we would never know what we have, it would mean nothing to us when what we have goes away.

Reach out and feel the loss. Mold it with your hands. Turn it into what you need to make it make sense because how we cope with our losses very much determines our degree of happiness for the rest of our lives.

Don't mire up in self despair of your losses, learn from them and move on to other good things in life. Don't stop allowing the sunshine in because of the fear that winter will come and engulf the warmth. Hold it close to you to help you through those cold winter days when you need it most, when you have lost what you hold dear.

Written by: Belinda Taylor 8-18-2013
Random Thoughts