LOVE MATTERS

I have kept journals for over fifty years. In these journals I have returned again and again to thinking and writing about love because what matters to me in life is love in all its many manifestations. I read through my journals seeking to find writings that illustrate why love matters to me as part of the never-ending story of life on Earth. I begin here with my understanding of what it means to live life as a human being.

Life is a wonder and a challenge

As each day proceeds

With all its tumult, thunder,

Corners of quiet, and fleeting glory

Told repeatedly as never-ending story.

I love to travel and explore choosing small roads to follow to see where they lead. In one of my journals, I found a poem that expresses perfectly for me the metaphor that life is a winding road.

Life is a winding road

With smooth places, bumpy sections

Detours and torn up patches.

With fog enshrouded moments

Where it is so hard to see

And times of crystalline, utter clarity.

Life is a winding road

With shade and shadow

Bringing reflection and sorrow

With brilliant sunlight

Bringing blazing joy.

Life is a winding road

With flowers of grace

Blooming along it for us to enjoy

With leaves fluttering

Whispering of changing seasons

And butterflies flitting by

Reminders of life’s delicate balance.

Life is a winding road

With storms breaking all about us

Showering us with challenges

Which teach us many lessons

And sharpen our awareness.

Life is a winding road

With blessings great and small

For us to discover

As we make our way.

I have long known within the core of my being that what really mattered as I walked along this winding road of life was love. The love I gave others and the love I received. The love I practiced with friends, family, pets, and difficult people, as well as the love and care I gave the bits of nature under my tenure, the care I gave my body, the compassion I felt for those who were more vulnerable on this Earth than myself, the love I felt for the stars exploding above my head on a moonless night, the love of the wind speaking to me through its movement amongst the trees, the love that poured through me and spilled from my heart with every breath whenever I tuned into the Sacred, honoring All That Is. I have come to understand that this involves living a life grounded in love.

Love sustains us

When the skies are dark

And fear surrounds us

Love sustains us

And helps us along the way

When doubt creeps in

Love sustains us

Every night and day

In ways both small and grand

Experiences we have feed our perspective on love. Patience is required in living a life grounded in love.

 Love grows

like a gardenia

from a tiny seed.

It sprouts until

Finally, a fragrant flower

blooms.

It is worth waiting for.

           There are so many obstacles and challenges to practicing a life grounded in love. There is so much potential for misunderstanding and misperception and stumbling and groping around in the dark. It is important to persevere, to envision Light beaming Love even when those beams seem shadowed.

Love is the balm and fuel of our seeking souls

Love helps us glue our fragmented selves

Into one complete, crystalline whole.

It isn’t easy to live a life grounded in love. It takes so much courage and  wholeness of Spirit. These must be cultivated assiduously so that when one stumbles and falls into the Dark, as happens, one is sustained through these Dark times by the inner Light one has garnered.

Steadily we must persevere

And find our way on this earth journey.

Then mountains of life-victories

Will come to us

As we walk resolutely through our fears

With faith in the power of Love’s Light

That comes as a grace to guide us.

Yes, perseverance is required when striving to live a life grounded in love, because challenges do come.

When we Love as we’re meant to

Practicing deep looking

Into people, things, and ideas

Understanding comes to us

And then we expand beyond

Cultural and tribal boundaries

There are so many dimensions to love, and yet in the end, love is love.

Breathe in

Love…

Release

Fear…

Open to

Love…

Because

Without love

life is barren, bleak, and cold.

Without love’s joy, the heart shrivels

like a dried plum

shrunken and lifeless

Without love’s tenderness, rage has nothing

to dissipate it

Without love’s kindness, the soul

retreats and hides

fearing to reveal its needs.

Without love’s patience, the soul-bloom

that might have been

falters and withers

Without love’s encouragement,

there is no attempt made

to try the “impossible”

And thus, without love,

life is barren, bleak, and cold.

  An important goal on this life-journey is becoming fully awake and aware in order to integrate the lessons of such a love-grounded life into one’s being.

By taking Love’s hand

We find that

With Love’s compassion

We will be able to

Navigate time’s shifting sands

Amidst threats and turmoil

Because we hold tight

To Love’s hand

And trust Love’s power.

Once you set foot on a path committed to practicing living a life grounded in love, there is no turning back. I re-emphasize that such a life is not easy. The challenges are ongoing, but so are the joys. I have found life to be a tumultuous roller coaster ride during which harmony and balance are both sought and found along the way.

Light emerges and

Brings hope

To all who suffer.

Love is sent

All the while, day and night

Suffering is soothed

With the power

Of Light and Love.

Without question, I know that I am meant to humbly share some of my experiences and observations as one who has tried, and still tries, to live a life grounded in love.

Our love lives amongst those we have known

And we are gladdened by the thought

Of a future harvest of love to be reaped

Long after we have gone.

I believe that only love sustains us on the winding path of life.

Drifting in and around

In this sphere and out

Floating like lilies

In alternate realities

Of life and love

Then and now

Yet here, there, everywhere

Whatever I am doing

Whomever I am with

Underneath it all is

The beat of my inmost heart

Reaching out on a wavelength

To connect with the beat of your inmost heart.

In this world when blue sky love

Miraculously graces life

Of this there is no doubt

Starlight and moonlight beam from above

But it is love-light that illuminates our way

Night after night and day after day.

  A wise person once told me, to always remember

You get to keep

What you give away.

I urge you, dear Reader,

Abandon reservations

And let your love-light shine

Be drunk with your love

Let it go! Let it flow!

Yes, it’s true. Close your eyes. Reach out with your heart. Feel love flowing in and out

Blessings come to us

Helping us know that Love is Eternal

Without end

And blessings come

In a myriad of ways

Throughout our nights and days

As we travel this road of life

With all its sorrows and strife

Still, blessings come

And in the gift of their coming

Our souls breathe saying

Love is the key to be free.

Dear Reader, remember, loved you are and that is true.

Whatever your trials and travails, Love will see you through.

Love can knock you

To your knees

Or, love can come

By degrees

Slipping into your soul

Until one day you awaken

Whole and free.

Free of fear

Free to be

All that you dream.

Love’s ways are her own

She will sing to you

Her song to help you along

In hopes that you will hear

Because she seeks to draw you near

So that you will come to see

That to her, you are ever dear.

So, fling your arms wide

And dance with delight

Imbibe the music that moves you

Under the starry night.

Know from deep within

That no matter what befalls you

With love by your side

It is all right.

Hold to your dreams, full and free

Let love come into thee

Go forth and be.

I have seen and felt much in my decades on Earth. I do not know if I am near the end of this life, or if indeed, I still have many years yet to remain here. Truly, only time will tell. What I share with you, dear Reader, is that living a life grounded in love is worth every effort to do so.

With awareness and attention

Love blossoms

In the heart

And takes root in the soul.

Love will multiply

Just give it a try

In the end

Love is

All that

Matters…

Only Love

Lasts into

The Beyond.

I love you, dear Reader. I wish you well on the winding road of life and in your efforts to live your life grounded in Love.