This Thing Called Love

Have you ever noticed the slippery slope this love thing can be? How when we don’t have that special someone to love, we tend to believe that’s what we need to be happy? And how about when we are in that love relationship, do we then believe that it’s going to give us what we need to live “happily ever after”?

It’s true that the beginning of a love relationship can give us a high like no other–and who doesn’t love that feeling! But is what we think of as “love” the real thing–or could it be just a masterful disguise?

When we feel loved by another, all does seem right in our world. Romantic love is so potent, in fact, that it can turn even a hardened heart into “mush” or drive a sane person into doing some pretty wild things. Love is indeed our universal language; it’s something we all speak and is the “glue” that binds us to one another.

Love is, unequivocally, the most powerful force in the Universe!

• “Love alone can unite living beings so as to complete and fulfill them . . . for it alone joins them by what is deepest in themselves. All we need is to imagine our love developing until it embraces the totality of men and of the earth.” Teilhard de Chardin

How much of your life have you been searching for someone to love you? If you’re feeling the absence of love, then you’re simply not looking in the “right” place. You’ve bought into the belief that love comes from the outside and that you need it from another to complete you.

The craving for love can lead us to artificial substitutes such as food, drugs, alcohol, sex–or just about anything that brings us similar feelings. These may work in the short-term, but any temporary fix can leave us feeling worse about ourselves and may even lead to an addictive cycle.

We’ve all heard it said that you can’t love another until you first love yourself. How can you give away something that you feel is missing within you? If you don’t believe you’re lovable, if you self-reject, you won’t be able to give–or receive–real love: you can’t dip from an empty bucket! When we do feel the love within, when we’re tuned into our naturally loving Self, we then know the Truth about what it really is to love.

There aren’t really different kinds of love, no matter how it may appear. The love we feel for our parents, family, children, friends and lovers are only variations of the same theme. If there are conditions placed on love, if it’s withdrawn unless we meet certain criteria, then we’re dealing with the ego–an imposter–not love.

So, what’s the secret to finding True Love? 

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”  Oscar Wilde

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!   ♥

Gimme Some Lovin’

This thing called love is something we need for our very survival: When we feel loved, all is right in our world. It may be difficult to articulate exactly what love is, but we sure know what it does to–and for–us. Love is so potent, in fact, that it can turn even a hardened heart into “mush” or drive a sane person into doing some pretty crazy things. Love is indeed our universal language; it’s something all humanity understands as well as the “glue” that eternally binds us to one another. Love is, unequivocally, the most powerful force in the Universe!

• “Love alone can unite living beings so as to complete and fulfill them . . . for it alone joins them by what is deepest in themselves. All we need is to imagine our love developing until it embraces the totality of men and of the earth.” Teilhard de Chardin

Because we love being “in love”, we may feel that something is missing when we’re not in a special, intimate relationship; we may crave our own “love story” with a happy ending. Or, if we do have a mate, we may be afraid that someday one of us may lose that lovin’ feeling and we’ll be alone again. And then there are those who’ve given up on human companionship and turn to their loyal pets to fill them up: The unconditional love from animals is pure, consistent and demands nothing in return.

How much of your life have you been searching for someone to love you? If you feel the absence of love, then you’re simply not looking in the “right” place. You’ve bought into the belief that love comes from the outside, has limits and is untrustworthy. You might even attempt to find a substitute for love in food (it will never reject you!), sex, drugs, alcohol, or any other addiction, but it’s only a temporary fix; when its effects wear off, the emptiness returns.

We’ve all heard it said that you can’t love another until you first love yourself. How can you give away something that you don’t feel you have? If you don’t believe you’re lovable, you won’t be able to give or receive love: no one can make you see what you are blind to. When we do feel the love, when we’re tuned into our loving Self, we then see it reflected everywhere we look.

There aren’t really different kinds of love, no matter how it may appear. The love we feel for our parents, family, children, friends and lovers are only variations of the same theme. If there are conditions placed on love, if it’s withdrawn unless we meet certain criteria, then we’re dealing with the ego, not love.

So, what’s the secret to finding True Love? 

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”  Oscar Wilde

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!   ♥

She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

In case you don’t know what Friday is, I’m giving you a heads-up: it’s Valentine’s Day!! Now, if that doesn’t excite you, well, you’re not alone. With so much commercial-hype leading up to it, this national “sweethearts” day has become less about a romantic, heart-felt gesture to celebrate love, and more about buying something impressive to prove your love. Don’t fall for it, though. Romance is still alive and well!

As it is with many girls, the seed of romance was planted in my impressionable young mind early on. I remember every Valentine’s Day throughout grade school, how we all had to give a valentine card to every student in our class–even if we didn’t know them, like them, or thought they had “cooties”. I took my time sorting through those cards that came in a package of 30, finding just the right one for my secret crush, making sure I also included in the envelope one of those tiny candy hearts with an imprinted “love” message on it before sealing the flap very tightly.

After all the cards were placed in our personally decorated boxes, we had to wait until we got home to read them. I often experienced a let-down when I finished with that task because I didn’t get what I had expected or what I needed to feel “special.”  This pattern of expectation followed by disappointment became my shadow, following me around for years. I didn’t know back then that love is one of those indefinable things that wouldn’t be found in a box: not even one with beautiful red hearts pasted all over it.

Now, for those who don’t have that “special someone” in your life at the moment–myself included–don’t allow that to make you feel bad or left out on Valentine’s Day. Take heart: be your own Valentine and celebrate the wonderful, amazing person you are! Treat yourself to something decadent, spend time with your friends or just snuggle up with your 4-legged companion who always loves you unconditionally (which sounds mighty good to me!). Please don’t mope around and convince yourself that something is missing from your life. It’s not. You must be willing to love yourself first if you want someone else to truly love you. Maybe it’s time to stop looking for love in all the wrong places and focus on your own heart.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

“Love is the one force, the one energy, of which we are all made. Love is who we are; it is the equivalent of life itself. Love knows no judgment or criticism. Love just is.” James Van Praagh

Gimme Some Lovin’

This thing called love is something we need for our very survival: When we feel loved, all is right in our world. It may be difficult to articulate exactly what love is, but we sure know what it does to–and for–us. Love is so potent, in fact, that it can turn even a hardened heart into “mush” or drive a sane person into doing some pretty crazy things. Love is indeed our universal language; it’s something all humanity understands as well as the “glue” that eternally binds us to one another. Love is, unequivocally, the most powerful force in the Universe!

• “Love alone can unite living beings so as to complete and fulfill them . . . for it alone joins them by what is deepest in themselves. All we need is to imagine our love developing until it embraces the totality of men and of the earth.” Teilhard de Chardin

Because we love being “in love”, we may feel that something is missing when we’re not in a special, intimate relationship; we may crave our own “love story” with a happy ending. Or, if we do have a mate, we may be afraid that someday one of us may lose that lovin’ feeling and we’ll be alone again. And then there are those who’ve given up on human companionship and turn to their loyal pets to fill them up: The unconditional love from animals is pure, consistent and demands nothing in return.

How much of your life have you been searching for someone to love you? If you feel the absence of love, then you’re simply not looking in the “right” place. You’ve bought into the belief that love comes from the outside, has limits and is untrustworthy. You might even attempt to find a substitute for love in food (it will never reject you!), sex, drugs, alcohol, or any other addiction, but it’s only a temporary fix; when its effects wear off, the emptiness returns.

We’ve all heard it said that you can’t love another until you first love yourself. How can you give away something that you don’t feel you have? If you don’t believe you’re lovable, you won’t be able to give or receive love: no one can make you see what you are blind to. When we do feel the love, when we’re tuned into our loving Self, we then see it reflected everywhere we look.

There aren’t really different kinds of love, no matter how it may appear. The love we feel for our parents, family, children, friends and lovers are only variations of the same theme. If there are conditions placed on love, if it’s withdrawn unless we meet certain criteria, then we’re dealing with the ego, not love.

So, what’s the secret to finding True Love? 

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”  Oscar Wilde

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!   ♥