Can You Love Too Much?

Is it wrong to love too much?  Perhaps not healthy?  This topic came up over the last couple of days.

One of my dear friends, Diva Shannon, stopped by my house Sunday with two of her girls to give me a Christmas gift.  We chatted and talked about life, including my divorce and dating escapades this year.  She made the comment that "you just love too much and give too much of yourself."  It was a thought-provoking observation.

Then yesterday I was in an unusual business situation.  A previous co-worker, someone who departed work in uncomfortable and acrimonious circumstances and who had made a few unacceptable comments to me, had requested help from me in her new position.  Due to the business interaction between her company and mine, it was a request I had to honor.  Although I didn't agree with the way she behaved, I knew she needed information in order to perform her job.  Do I give it to her begrudgingly?  Or should I share my knowledge with her generously and with a sense of humor? 

It was much better to share information with someone who needed a mentor than it was to hold a grudge.  I enjoyed my time with her, catching up on our personal lives while helping her to better understand the duties she had to perform each day.  She was grateful that I helped her, which gave me a sense of personal satisfaction.

So does this mean I love too much?  Or forgive too easily?  Or give too much of myself to the detriment of my well-being?  And can someone actually love too much?

Perhaps it is a lesson learned from my personal experience.  Life is too short and too precious to hold a grudge.  Forgiveness, which does take time, is a powerful tool that affects your own life far more than it affects the person for whom you are forgiving.  But let me give a disclaimer: although I believe in forgiveness, I also believe that one will never forget, which means you must use a discerning eye when relating to someone who has wronged you in the past.

In retrospect, I must agree with Diva Shannon - I do love too much.  But I don't see a downside to that; by giving unlimited love, I am thereby not limiting the amount of love I receive in return.  I don't want to be Scrooge when it comes to loving and giving within my nature.  And that's a good thing!