Gazing in the Mirror

February 14 - Let's Talk About Love

Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.
~ Rumi

Love is at the center of man's
being, and the calm, continuous,
pulsations of life are governed
by Love.
~ Ernest Holmes

I like to talk about love. I know that many people have trouble with that word "love" just as many people have trouble with the word "god". I have argued the point with some of those before and I do understand. The word is used quite casually and for a lot of reasons. My favorite argued example is "I love steak" – far different from romantic love or from the kind of unconditional love I find my self firmly rooted in at this point on this life's journey through the jungles of time and space.

I remain firmly attached to my own expressions of love. Once I did a "practice" in which I indiscriminately wrote to every online acquaintance these words – "I love you. Have a nice day !". The various reactions that I got to that were fascinating. There were some people for whom such words given without any expectation of anything in return were a balm timely received. Many people pretty much ignored the words as though meaningless regardless of whatever the temporary impact of seeing them had for a moment. Some questioned me about them and one person actually felt intruded upon by receiving them. I am glad I decided to accept the challenge that suggested that I do that. Every once in awhile, I still see on some acquaintance's online profile page my words simmering there doing whatever magic love is able to do. I always smile at the memory of those days.

Does it really matter how someone else interprets the offerings of our hearts ? I don't believe it does. Some time ago I realized that no matter what someone thinks they are saying to another person, the person receiving it has their own interpretation and it may be entirely different than what the one offering it intended. There is nothing that a person can do about another person's interpretation. In fact I believe that it is the way that things are meant to be. The receiving, the listening, the interpreting are all subjective to the individual's need. So I share love generously and with no expectations. I don't need to receive love back as a reward for having given it. I find that LOVE is ever present and makes sure I know that quite often. It is enough for my heart's needs.

In my little family, my experiences of love vary greatly. My husband isn't very demonstrative about such things but he assumes that I must know from his actions and I certainly know many things from his actions – whether he knows what I feel and see and how I interpret that or not. Sometimes I attempt to communicate that to him. Sometimes I seem to make some headway and sometimes it seems to be impossible for him to understand whatever point I am trying to make in the manner that I would like for him to understand it. I continue the attempt never the less and don't worry too much about the impact for I know that he receives from me whatever he is ready to receive. He understands what he is ready to understand and anything else that may matter may lie in his soul like a seed waiting to germinate, or not, for all I know. I accept what he gives willingly.

Love is an interesting experience with my sons. My older son, now a teenager and overly mindful of how others might see him, still seems to savor those moments when I grab ahold of him and give him a sincere hug while reminding him that I do love him. When he is troubled, those little injections of love seem very important to him. He is heard and someone recognizes his pain. My youngest is very social and a natural lover. He was much more interested in romantic ideas of having a wife and children at a much younger age than my older son. He has bestowed many "I (heart) U" notes upon me. He is getting older too though and now he doesn't want kisses from me, vigorously wiping them away as though they carry germs. My daughter – now grown, married and with children of her own – is simply the most loving, caring and beautiful of hearts my life has blessed me with the acquaintance of. Enough said.

There are many kinds of love in Life. I believe that no human being ever actually receives enough love. I bestow hugs, remember to express feelings of love out loud and express my fondest regards for others often. We can't assume that someone else simply "knows" because most of the time unless we talk about love openly the truth regarding our feelings may be actually missed. Go out and love the world and its people today. It is an energy that will keep rippling throughout eternity, bouncing around and about, and touching all other energies for an eternity. Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

~ perspective

Love is a multifaceted energy with
highs and lows that vibrate through
our emotional bodies.
I am grateful for all of the ways
that Love has enriched my experience
of Life.
I learn so much about myself and others
when I risk doing so in love.
I seek to be realistic about Love while
embracing its power to heal all hurts.
I am willing to be vulnerable and risk
love, for from my own perspective, the
absence of expectations regarding
outcomes means I cannot honestly lose
anything by giving Love.

#acceptance #communication #enough #expectations #expression #generosity #heart #marriage #receptivity #understanding