Greetings from My Mountain Cabin,
Love is one of the most ubiquitous words in our vernacular. It can refer to a variety of people, places and things. Expressions of love can be mundane (I love to snooze on the sand under a beach umbrella. I love pistachio nuts.), the abstract (I love freedom. I love adventure.), or the personal (I love my significant other. I love my goofy canine companions.).
For some, expressions of love come easily; for others the word is rarely used. Each of us has traveled an experiential path that has brought us where we are today. Childhood peaks and valleys, moments of validation and moments of despair, all contribute to our self-image, and hence, the ways in which we interact with others. It can be a challenge to convey a message of love when a similar one was rarely received.
"Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." ~Robert Heinlein
One of the unique facets of a loving exchange is that in order for a person to extend a heartfelt message of love, s/he must first be personally aware of the emotion. What is given to another is first given to one's self.
Imagine a child sitting alone in a room, gently rocking back and forth in her chair, cuddling and singing to her teddy bear. As you gaze into the room, you can almost see the little hearts rising from where she is setting; a visual representation of the love being shared by the little girl and her toy—a love that fills the room and draws you into the experience.
Truth be known, no exchange is taking place. The adored toy is incapable of returning the girl's love. The teddy bear is made up of some stuffing, a corduroy skin, a few buttons and perhaps a ribbon around its neck. It is not alive.
Yet, the love being exchanged is coming from somewhere—a single source—the little girl. In order for the child to express love to her furry friend, she must first allow love to fill her own heart. Therefore, the more she gives, the greater she experiences the emotion.
What a wonderful world it would be if everyone on this planet embraced loving expression as the basis for relating to one another. And even small gestures of love can have meaningful impact. I invite you to . . .
✶ Make it a practice to end a telephone conversation to a dear one with I love you. The sands of time in the hourglass of life do not run out in a predictable manner. On any given day, you may never have another chance.
✶ Give your elderly relatives a heartfelt hug when you see them. Advancing age does not lessen the need for physical affection and validation. All persons need to feel they are of worth and have something to offer the world.
✶ Make it a point to remember the birthday of those close to you and send a card or place a telephone call. If they are special to you, let them know that.
✶ Not be afraid to use the word Love at the end of personal correspondence. Say it and mean it. Use of the word does not necessarily imply a sexual overture.
✶ Never think you are spoiling a child by often telling her or him that s/he is loved. Children need to hear as well as feel that their happiness is important to you.
"Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of Love; and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire." ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
May your day be filled with love and light,
Ed
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