LOVE is everywhere!
The "L" word gets thrown around a lot. We love food, we love that song, we love that car, we love that movie... It’s a way to express our passion and delight, and that's a good thing. But sometimes love gets confused with pain. There are plenty of lyrics and poetry about how love hurts, but, really, it doesn't. Sure it hurts to love someone who doesn't love us back but it's not the love that's hurting; it's the absence of it. There are parents that scream at their kids, humiliate them in front of others, shame them into doing things, physically hurt them in order to "teach them a lesson." That's not love either. And it's not love that directs their behavior. It's fear on the parent's part. Some people experience relationships that are anything but loving. And they justify their staying by claiming their love, but that is not what makes them stay. More likely it's the fear. And then there’s making love when we might simply mean having sex. After all, there are plenty of people having sex that don’t love each other. And there are too many being forced into sexual acts where, obviously, there is no love involved. So let’s be clear. Sex is not love. To some, it may be an expression of love but not to everyone. Yet there are lots of movies, tv shows, and commercials that suggest otherwise. So the word and the concept of love can get confusing. But my point in bringing all this up is to make this clear: Love never hurts. I’m not talking about what some call romantic love or tough love. I'm talking about that energy within all things all the time. I'm talking about that feeling that makes you sigh deeply, slows your pace to a gentle rhythm of appreciation, makes you look with soft eyes, lowers your voice to one of understanding and openness, and enriches your senses with an energy that is magical in its grace, intention, and abundance. I’m talking about love that’s patient and kind, encouraging, nurturing, and healing. It can take your breath away, put you at a loss for words, completely surprise you, and slowly overwhelm you. That’s the love I’m talking about.
Love is everywhere all the time and in all things just waiting to be acknowledged, received, and expressed.