What amazes me most, I think, is to recognize – and get it in my bones – that love permeates this earth life we are living. How outrageous is that! How did THAT come to be?

I’m not saying the opposite of love does not exist as well. As a criminal psychologist I see the fallout of dis-connection and it can be fierce and dangerous. Best not to pretend that “evil” doesn’t exist (irregardless of how we choose to label it – absence of light, whatever, move out of the way). Oddly, even the most hardened “criminal” holds a sentimentality toward family and seeks connections.

There is nothing sadder to me than to sit with an “inmate” or any person who has not one person in their lives. I cannot imagine life without love in it. I believe the outer is a reflection of the inner and still it is heart-wrenching to be in the presence of a life without love. Sometimes the most you can do is sit with that soul and be present to hear their story.

It makes me appreciate all the love that flows in my own life, the relationships I have cultivated. There is always more room for love!

Love is generated from the inside out. Love is everywhere. There is no lack of love. It is not reserved for the thin, the wealthy, the educated. I like to say that love is always present and awaiting our arrival.

How awesome that love seems to be the thread that weaves itself through our life experiences. I cannot imagine a world in which this were not the case. I love life and I love that love abounds!

I also love your posts!

P.S. Oh, right, romantic love! I’ve been baptized in that fire as well! Your final statements re: love are beautiful.

@Tony, ahhh, I like that. A moment to moment choice and not to be taken for granted. How much better off would we all be if we thought that way. Thank you for sending positive vibes this way.

@BigLittleWolf, lovely to have you here. Merci beaucoup for the compliments and thank you for all the beautiful writing and thought-provoking subjects you tackle on your fine blog.

And yes, asking questions allows us to dip a toe in, and not fall. You put it beautifully.

For me, love has always been a moment to moment choice, so it’s something that I’ve never been able to take for granted.

@Tracy, I ask that question all the time when I read the news: What would life be without hope? Thank you for your perspective, a valuable source of insight and inspiration for those of us who take many things for granted, and for all that you do.

@Phil, “…and so the feeling goes”. Thanks to you for putting The Troggs’ song in my head. What you wrote is simply beautiful. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you say and that energy is meant to be shared freely. Thank you for your love-filled energy.

@Fr. Michael, always great to see you here. Your comment may be inspiring me to do a follow up post because you bring up some things that I didn’t touch on. And this: “The more we give of ourselves, the more we find our true selves” — I agree and I wonder if we’re born knowing this, then lose it along the way, and then re-learn it in our later years, or at least after we’ve lived a little. Thank you, as always, for your friendship and insight. Oh, and re: your hippie quip, sure, if you say so : )

I love Pizza, does that count?

Marc

PS – I enjoyed the length of your post. It took awhile to read and was serious and thought provoking. Hopefully you will “love” my humor above (which is my real form of love).

As always, thanks for your thought provoking post. Love is one of the most overused and misunderstood words in our language. St. Thomas Aquinas defined it as “willing the good to another.” Love is really about self-giving, not self-seeking. It’s sacrificial. It hurts. But that’s what makes it feel good as well. The more we give of ourselves, the more we find our true selves. Love is not about feeling; it’s about willing.

Peace!

P.S. I don’t think I have a hippie bone in my body : )

Phil