Jen's Crash Course on Loyalty

“Unless you can find some sort of loyalty, you cannot find unity and peace in your active living.” ~ Josiah Royce

In the past three months, I’ve had plenty of things going on that would give me enough material to write two novels. Unfortunately, I wasn’t necessarily inclined to share all of that with everyone. Those who know me best know exactly what’s been going on in my life, and that is what inspired me to write about loyalty.

Here’s what I know: when I was a child, my parents taught me that my word is everything, lies are never acceptable and if I tell them, I won’t be trusted. Needless to say, my parents had to keep teaching me that last part before I became an adult and learned those same lessons the hard way. And no matter how many times I let them down or disappointed them, they never lost loyalty in our family or me.

My brother and I are two very different people, with different beliefs and opinions. We always have been. But there has never been a time in our lives when another human being on this earth could come between us, sometimes even our parents. We were, and still are, a team. And our loyalty to each other has always been the glue that has held us together over the years, even if we don’t spend as much time together as we used to spend or would like to spend.

These loyalties haven’t just been extended by those who share my bloodline. In this life, I have been lucky enough to be blessed with a handful of friends, both old and new, who have seen me through thick and thin (sometimes literally). I’ve also been lucky enough to know when it was time to stop putting my trust, faith and loyalty into fair weather friends, both old and new.

Because of these lessons, and these loyalties, I’ve been able to find a peace in my life that I didn’t have in my teens and twenties. My heart feels full and my life feels more complete than I probably deserve. It is my hope that I will be able to help provide those same blessings to each and every person who has taught me so much. Thank you to my parents who taught me that even if I don't always make the right decisions, I will never lose their love; to my brother, who taught me that blood is absolutely thicker than water, even through petty (and not so petty) arguments; to my friends who have taught me that unconditional love isn't exclusive to family; and to the ones I've had to let go of in my life, who taught me to treasure those who have been so loyal to me, in good times and bad. Because of each of these people, even if I'm still a "work in progress", I know that my life is richer for them.