Jody Klaire

Love is the other part of the theme in Untrained Eye. Romantic love is something that is written about, sung about and painted but love is more, it has so many sides that it would be really difficult and lengthy to try and explore it in a blog. So I’ll pick a few wonderful sides to it.

Love for yourself – Not really something that many see as an obvious choice. For some, this is the hardest kind of love. I’ve explored it a bit with Pippa in La Vie en Bleu and Renee battles with it often. It’s not about vanity but the acceptance that although we may have many similarities, traits and aspects in common with others, we are utterly unique. Whether you look at it with logic or with feeling, each one of us is special. Each one of us is capable of touching others lives and bringing light into them. That’s pretty amazing.

Love for your path – It’s what makes a writer fill blank page after blank page, edit, rewrite and repeat over and over. It’s what fuels that future sports star who stays out to practice when everyone else has gone home. It’s what makes you study harder, drives you to keep working, keep trying even when challenges are thrown at you. It ignites determination, is the breath of dreams and hopes, is the fire in faith. Love makes all things possible. In Blind Trust, I focused on that. I focused on it a lot in the series.

Love for others – I worked hard at showing that in La Vie en Bleu as well as in Aeron’s series. Loving other people isn’t always easy. Sometimes it hurts, a lot. Sometimes they throw curveballs at you as Renee did to Aeron in Blind Trust. Sometimes it hurts because they need to leave. This is where Nan came in. I hope that she brings you a smile when you read about her in the books but I also hope she might give a lift. That perhaps people who we can’t see in person anymore might be busy working hard to take care of you and if you could hear them, heckle you sometimes too!

Love for others whether you know them or not gives everyone the capability to be a hero. It’s Remembrance Sunday here so that feels very relevant. My own grandparents were heroes, I’m pretty sure many others of their generation were the same. It’s something I try to show through Aeron in the series. She’s not smashing down doors, her way of being a hero is a lot less obtrusive, not always well received but always with love at her heart. It’s one of my favourite things about her. She is a good person who loves people whether or not they love her back.

Love = transformation:

Aeron – from an inmate to a hero, Renee – from a scarred wreck to a protector, Frei – from… well you’ll have to wait and see…

Love transforms, it lifts us to becoming who we can be but never dared thought possible. Whether it’s the love of someone you share your day with, love for friends, love for family and chosen family… For the faith inside you… For furry little menaces…

Love moves you. Love is one of those things that won’t let you stagnate, won’t let you stand still. It drives you to be better, drives you to listen, to care and when returned becomes the greatest treasure we can possess.

Unconditional love.

A love that glows even when you are hurting. A love that never leaves. A love that reaches in and holds you tight. It’s an incredible thing. When combined with two other amazing words you see something amazing. Faith, hope, love. They feed each other, they grow, and although sometimes we don’t dare trust it, the more love you give, the more love you feel. The actual act of loving, whether it is seen or returned, feels good.

Faith, hope and love. When you have all three, they can do wonderful things. They help you see beyond pain, loss, fear, doubt and all the challenges thrown. When you have that team working for you, working in you, you start shining. Your light spreads to others who may need it. Your smile, your time, your patience and your positive energy help other people to do the same. When you know someone that special, it has the power to transform, to lift, to grow and to breathe light into your own heart.

Faith, hope and love, it’s the passage for Untrained Eye. It’s a passage that is one of the most beautiful pieces of scripture. Love is never wasted, it never fades away, it’s an energy that remains with us and in us.

As Paul says earlier on in the passage…

Love never fails.

I hope your day is filled with light and love,