I had an Enews message prepared before leaving for vacation to visit my South Carolina family. It was far too many months since I last saw my children and grands. I was missing the noise and confusion of life with a teen, a tween, and high energy, always on the go seven-year-old. Yes, I missed the energy that fills the home of my daughter and son-in-love; an energy that is enhanced by two dogs, two cats, and a stray kitty that lives in the drainpipe across the street. I needed family time in a major way. I was packed and ready to go. All of the tasks on my to-do list checked with a little time to spare, so I wrote the message for the Enews. Off I went to the airport and enjoyed a quiet, uneventful mid-morning flight to South Carolina.
Upon arriving at the Columbia airport, what wanted to be said changed completely so here I am with the words that wish to be shared today. As I made my way through the airport, I followed the signs to baggage claim. Straight ahead were my daughter and three grands. We greeted each other with long hugs and smooches (with permission). There I stood in a pool of welcoming love which is a feeling unlike any other.
Yes, my grands are typical youngsters with moodiness when hungry, tired, or disappointed. Occasionally, they are fussy with one another and mostly they are wonderful together. They nourish my soul and soothe my spirit with each and every visit. On this visit, I will have several days with them all to my self while their parents go off to celebrate their anniversary. These are the moments I treasure the most; the moments alone with my precious grands.
The feeling of love grew in my heart. This love is a gift shared among family and friends alike flows easily and effortlessly from one to another. This is the quality of love that binds us together, all humanity, as one within the greater love that is God. This love is, as Charles Fillmore says, “the glue that binds together the entire universe and everything in it”. I continue to be awe-struck by the power of love that flows without favor through humanity.
I imagine this love flowing out from the small circle of people that I am, at this moment, surrounded by. I imagine this love expanding across the globe and including all people of our earth, all creatures and all that exists in creation. I imagine all the world playing in fields of love, swimming in the endless flow of love. I imagine love growing until all that exists is awakened to its expression of Divine Love.
I imagine this because it is what and who we truly are. When we lay down the opinions and judgments that we, in our humanness, place between ourselves and others, there is love. When we set aside our personal perspectives and allow many viewpoints to harmoniously coexist, love flows freely.
As I sit with these words, I ponder the moments that I have closed my heart to love; both giving and receiving love. I recall the separation and isolation that resulted. My thoughts quickly return to the web of love that surrounds me in these moments and I turn once more to the words of Charles Fillmore:
"...it loves for the sake of loving. It is not concerned with what or who it loves, nor with a return of love. Like the sun, its joy is in the shining forth of its nature. “
As I bask in the unconditional love of these sweet beings, my grands, I live these words in this very moment. You know what my dear, treasured friend Washuntara said “Once you get it started, watch what it does, it will go full circle. You can’t stop love”.
With that, let’s go out and love someone, love many someones. Let’s open our hearts to give love knowing that we shall also receive love. Let’s open the circle wide to include all creation in our love. As we set aside all of the markers that sort, divide, and separate us, we open the space for unending love. With this space created we live the Unity principle that says all are created in the essence of the Divine, therefore we are inherently divine. All beings are worthy of our love. We remember always that we will never look upon someone who God doe not love. By freely sharing our love, we live into the commandment Jesus gave his disciples in John 13:34:
A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Love and blessings,
Rev. Karen