Tag: love

The Only Thing

Happy Valentine’s Day. Today is the day to celebrate love. Acts made with love, and acts made with the absence of love, are what have created all of history. Thankfully, love still prevails. Most of the actions taken in our homes, and in our communities, and in our cities, and in our countries, and in our world, still have the basis of the energy of love. Love is what sustains us. Love is the only thing that will sustain us.

Today, let’s all of us plant seeds of love wherever we go. Focus on the good. Focus on what we love about our family, our friends, our neighbors, our everyday lives and ourselves. Show love to our family, to our friends, to our neighbors, and to ourselves. Appreciate the good in our everyday routines and in the lives we have created for ourselves. Be in awe of these people and creatures and things and vocations that make up the days of our lives. Feel love for our family, for our friends, for our neighbors, for our coworkers, and for ourselves. Allow our family, our friends, our neighbors and ourselves to love us. Let love in. Keep the doors of our hearts open. It’s a gift to feel and to show love for someone or something, and to also feel the joy of them receiving this love gratefully. Celebrate the love that we have for the lives which we have created for ourselves, and for the voracious, abundant life teeming all around us. Love is overflowing and robust. Love teems. Today, on this day in which we publically celebrate love, let’s all plant some more seeds of love, to keep this Garden of Life teeming and growing and blooming and blessing all creatures who are sustained by the everlasting energy of Love. Love is the only thing that will sustain us forevermore.

(And I can’t let this Valentine’s Day pass without saying how much I love to write this daily blog, and how much it means to me, for you, my readers and witnesses, to be part of it. I love my blog. And I love you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.)

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Inhale/Exhale

“. . .Just start to feel the natural rhythm of the breath. Notice the shift between the inhale and the exhale. And start to notice that point where the inhale pauses and makes way for the exhale – and the exhale fully releases and makes way for the inhale. Notice that moment in between one and the other. This change is happening all day long. And it is a necessary one. As we shift back and forth from inhale to exhale, we’re given what we need and we get to release what we don’t. . . . you might even use these words as a little affirmation. On the inhale, just hearing in your mind: “I’m receiving what I need.” And on the exhale: “I’m releasing what I don’t.” ” – Chani Nicholas, meditation on Change

This is a wonderful meditation that you can go to any time that you take a pause, and you focus on your breath. When we get anxious and upset we tend to breathe shallowly and we almost kind of hold our breath. We are afraid to let go, but if we think of letting go as releasing everything that we don’t need, it’s such a freeing, peaceful thought. Everything that we need is provided for us when we just breathe. We take what we need from our inhales, and then we exhale and release what don’t need. This constant process of change which happens in our lives is just moving towards what we need, and releasing what we don’t need, in order to live a happy, peaceful, fulfilling life.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Monday – Funday

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

With respect to keeping the privacy of loved ones, this is a list of some lessons I learned, or at least was reminded of this past weekend:

+ You don’t have to go it alone. People are mostly kind and merciful and want to help you. Let them in. Let love in.

+ Don’t be quick to judge the crazy lady, in the pikachu hat, who repeats herself constantly in your local eatery. She may just be a beautiful, creative person who has early dementia and is worried about her spouse, who is the love of her life. She has people who care about her and animals whom she deeply loves. And she’s not homeless. She’s probably wealthier than you. She actually has three homes, and is a multimillionaire.

+ Your body is like Shel Silverstein’s Giving Tree. It will do everything that it can to keep giving and giving and giving to you, no matter how you treat it, but eventually it will have nothing left to give. Treat your body with respect and care. Don’t treat it with disregard. It is the vehicle that allows you to live life. Without it, nothing else really matters. You will not be able to live a full, free life without a healthy body. All of your accolades, all of your accomplishments, all of your dreams, all of your wealth and possessions mean nothing without a healthy body. Health is your ultimate wealth.

+ People in the medical fields are an astonishing mix of deep compassion and scientifical stoicism. They are a special breed and they are doing their best every single day. And their “best” is typically a lot better than the rest of our “best.” Treat them with gratitude and appreciation. It goes a long way.

+ You never regret being there for people. But you must also show up for yourself. It’s an airline mask cliche (put your mask on first) but it is so true, you cannot take care of others, unless you take care of yourself first. Caretaking is strenuous, stressful, emotional and physical work and it will break you down, if you aren’t careful. Make sure that when you consider how to take care of others, you put yourself into that equation.

+ Never, ever give up hope. Losing is going to hurt whether you hoped or not. So keep hoping. When there is life, there is hope.

The Gift of Song

I read this quote the other day and I thought that it was one of the most beautiful, “true” quotes which I have read in a long time. (and you know that I love quotes) How many beautiful songs have you sung to for decades of your life, and you have never even considered the lyrics? There are some songs which I love to sing along to, even though I am fully aware of their unfortunate lyrics. Honestly I’m embarrassed that I like some of these songs, but I do.

Today, I clicked on a video of Elton John singing “Yellow Brick Road”. I’ve loved this song since I first heard it, but today is the first day that I read through the lyrics and considered their meaning. I found out that Elton John wrote this song as an “FU” to music industry executives. I like the song even more now.

I’ve always loved Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide” but it isn’t until reaching my middle age that I’ve started sobbing/singing along with the tune any time that I hear it (It’s really hard to sing with a huge lump in your throat). The beauty of music is that it is always there for you, for whatever mood you are in, and it connects all of us, whether we are just humming along, or we are soulfully and personally experiencing the lyrics. Music is such a beautiful form of love in motion.

“Landslide” lyrics

I took my love, I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
‘Til the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too

Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too
Oh! I’m getting older too

Oh-oh, take my love, take it down
Oh-oh, climb a mountain and you turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well, the landslide bring it down
Oh-ohh, the landslide bring it down

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Oppy

Last night my husband and I watched the sweetest little documentary called Good Night Oppy. It was a lovely, delightful watch before going to sleep. Good Night Oppy is about the Mars Exploration Rovers which landed on Mars in 2003 and were only expected to stay functional for a 90 day mission, but both of the rovers, named Spirit and Opportunity, ended up “living” and exploring Mars for years and years. Despite aging, and memory problems, and weathering many journeys and storms, Opportunity or “Oppy” ended up doing her job for almost 15 years! If you need a “feel good”, inspiring movie that takes you out of the drama and negativity that sometimes seems so pervasive these days, watch Good Night Oppy. It’s so pleasant and gratifying and brings out everyone’s “inner geek”. Good Night Oppy shows the excitement of dreams come true, all from the beauty of human ingenuity and teamwork. The documentary even shows how music unites us all. Good Night Oppy reminds us that we can love our own creations, and our machines like we love living things. (Who of us hasn’t shed a tear after selling a beloved car?) Good Night Oppy reminds us of just how far the breadth and the depth of our own love can expand, perhaps even to Mars and into universes beyond.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Monday- Funday

There are so many things that I love about this letter: courtesy, effort, fond memories, life lived, connection, diligence, humility, humor, kindness, meaningfulness, the idea of ‘gentle maturing’, gratitude, appreciation, “if there is a will, there’s a way (he found a working VHS player!)”, the fact that the seller shared the letter with others . . . . may we all live and have all of these precious attributes, in abundance in 2023, and beyond. The ways of being pure, and real, and having unentitled awe, are truly timeless, and these ways will never, ever fail to inspire what is the best in all of us – giving and receiving love, to and from others, and giving and receiving love, to and from Life.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Pause

Merry Christmas Eve. I hope that this finds you well, and warm, and in good spirits. This time of year is a big time of reflection for us, isn’t it? The world slows down, just a little bit and we start thinking about the past year in review. We also start musing about what we want in the new year and beyond. I’ve heard a lot of people mention that the year 2023 is a year for healing. I like that thought. Collectively, we’ve been through a lot in the last few years. I don’t feel like we’ve had a lot of downtime, or much of a “pause”, in order to process everything which we have been through. It is my hope that 2023 is a calming, healing, easy going, “let’s catch our breath and recalibrate” kind of a year.

The Wise Connector asked his Twitter followers to list three things that they have learned in 2022. I plan to ponder on that thought for a little bit. I like to integrate important lessons, so I am better equipped for my journey moving forward. This year I have learned to trust the mysterious ways of the Universe more, and the way that the Universe works in my life. I have learned that if I am pushing against a wall that isn’t ready to move, I only hurt and frustrate myself. When the wall is ready to be moved, it’s almost like magic how quickly the wall just disappears, like it was never there before. When it is time for me to walk through, and past a problem, it’s almost like the wall was never there. I hope to stop myself from knocking my head against walls in the new year and into the future to come.

I’ve also been telling my body lately, “I’m listening to you.” I’m taking care of you. You need rest? You’ve got it. You need to stretch and loosen up? We can do that, and you’re right, it feels amazing. Going along with the 2023 “Year of Healing” idea, I plan to start offering up the same courtesies of listening more to my mind and to my spirit, and really heeding the needs of all three entities which make up the whole of me.

I am wishing for peace and for pause for all of us during this holiday season. Thank you for being daily witnesses to me and to my writing. I love you. I appreciate you and our feeling of understanding and connection. Merry Christmas. All is well. Believe it. The walls will dissipate at just the right time and the path will be clear and bright.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Hoppin’

I had my first child when I was age 25 and we kept on going, every two years or so, until we had our four children. A big family keeps you hoppin’. Many times over the years people would comment on how many loads of laundry we must do, how filled our pantry must be, how many times we must have to run the dishwasher, etc. etc. I would smile, and nod, and laugh, and say the same panned responses, again and again, but honestly, it was just my way of life. I didn’t really know anything different for most of my adult life. Yes, raising four kids was a lot. It was chaotic at times. But it was also full of fun, and adventure, and laughter, and excitement, and a menagerie of pets, to boot. It was our family’s way of life.

For the last half of the year, my husband and I have been true empty nesters. And it has been quiet, and orderly, and comfortably predictable, and we run the dishwasher maybe once a week. Our dirty laundry never piles up and there are rooms in the house that go unused and stay tidy. However, for this past week, all four kids have been home for the holidays. And I now completely understand the contrast, and why people would always comment on how many times we must go to the grocery store (this past week, it’s often been more than once a day), and how many times we must run the dishwasher (this past week, it’s been at least once a day). And I have come to realize now, that both ways of living life have their upsides (and their downsides). I see the merits in both ways of living. In the end, I mostly just feel truly privileged to get to experience and appreciate both ways of life.

“Storms draw something out of us that calm seas don’t.” ~ Bill Hybels

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Soul Sunday

Sundays are devoted to poetry on the blog. Poems have no rules, other than to feel the words as you write them. Write yourself a poem today. It may be a beautiful present to give to yourself, during this season of giving. Here is my poem that I wrote just now:

The song of the house has been quiet lately.

Soft, rhythmic, even, lulling and serene.

Everyone just came home for the holidays.

The song of the house has been changed.

Loud, disruptive, uneven, jarring and exciting.

These songs are the soundtrack of my life.

I love how it all comes together to be,

the most beautiful music I have ever heard,

the most beautiful music that I dance to,

the loveliest background rhythms of life being lived.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.