It is very easy to yearn for people who live far away, out of your reach. Loving those who live with us—our family members, spouses, parents, children, or close friends—can be much more challenging. Familiarity brings disagreements, misunderstandings, and moments of frustration that test our patience and affection. Years ago, Mother Teresa’s wise words revealed this truth about relationships. Quote Of The Day By Mother TeresaThe celebrated Catholic nun once said: “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us… Bring love into your home, for this is where our love for each other must start.”Deeper Meaning Of The QuoteThis quote expresses a bitter truth - it is easy to care for people who are far away. It requires nothing from us. Distance allows us to love an idealized version of humanity. However, caring for people who live with us is more challenging as it examines our patience, our ability to love selflessly and also the ability to care for a person despite their flaws. Relevance Of Mother Teresa’s WordsIn a digital era, we are living in a world moulded by performative empathy. Social media enables us to champion for global causes, make posts about geopolitical disasters, yet causes a distance and deep sense of disconnection in our personal relationships.The quote reminds us, that we needn’t always fret about making the next viral post or hopping on the next social media bandwagon, but make some time, listening to an ageing parent, or spend some moments with our partner. Who Was Mother Teresa?Mother Teresa was a celebrated Catholic nun. Born in the city of Skopje, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, Mother Teresa grew up in a deeply religious Catholic household. At the age of 18, she left her homeland and traveled to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto. Soon afterward, she moved to India, the country that would become her home for the rest of her life and the center of her humanitarian and missionary efforts.In 1950, she launched the Missionaries Of Charity that was an organisation dedicated to serving the poor and the marginalised. Over the decades, the congregation expanded its operations to 133 nations and ran a whole gamut of services - from running soup kitchens, orphanages to managing homes for those with HIV, leprosy etc. Mother Teresa became a renowned figure for her contribution to serving the poor and the needy. She was recipient of many awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize and Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize.In recognition of her work and her reputation for holiness, the Catholic Church formally declared her a saint on September 4, 2016, bestowing upon her the title of Saint Teresa of Calcutta.