Mother Teresa's Philosophy

"It is in giving that we receive."  Mother Teresa

All I ever knew about Mother Teresa is that she lived her life dedicated to the betterment of the lives of others.  I picked up this little coffee table book on clearance at Borders titled, LOVE, the words and inspiration of Mother Teresa.  Reading her story, and of her dedication to loving the "unwanted", I am in awe of a life given over to others.  It doesn't seem that she lived even a day for herself, but continually poured herself out to homeless and hurting children, the sick, and the dying.  She rescued babies left in trash cans in India,  and provided shelter, medicine, and food for abandoned children living on the streets with disease.  Where there was news of abandoned children during a war, she would, herself, at age 75, drive in the war zone to personally rescue them.  When a limousine was donated to her by Pope John Paul IV, she immediatly sold it and donated the funds.  She said, "why own a limo when I can walk or take a bus?"  She worked hard to think outside the box to reach the needs of the people who were otherwise forgotten.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes of hers from the book.

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put into what we do."

"The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for, and deserted by everybody.  The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity, the terrible indifference toward one's neighbor..."

"A smile is the beginning of love."

"Joy is love- a joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love, for she gives most who gives with joy."

"In these times of development, everybody is in a hurry and everybody's in a rush, and on the way there are people fallingdown, who are not able to compete.  These are the ones we want to love and serve and take care of."

"Never let anyone come to you without coming away better and happier."

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives."

Let's live each day looking for someone who needs our love, our encouragement, a warm smile, a kind word.  In doing this, one by one, we can heal the hearts of this world!  Let us be encouraged by Teresa's example, that one life, humbly poured out, CAN change the lives of many.