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Today's Walk 2-21-2020
Photos are from today’s walk - February 21, 2020
As I look back on my life it seems like
love is missing.
I came to the realization a few years ago
that I really don’t love myself all that much
and consequently don’t love others the way
they deserve and long to be loved either.
Since then I've been learning...
One way to define Love is oneness and unity.
Defining Love like this one of the reasons
I believe we desperately need contemplation.
I need contemplation. I believe a contemplative
path that includes a compassionate openness
to God through meditation, prayer, and community
ultimately leads to the kind of love that
I’m talking about.
It is a transformative Love.
No amount of social media Memes that tell
you to love yourself or practice self-care (not
that there is anything wrong with that) are going
to make the difference I'm talking about.
To grow in Love we have to experience love.
And that experience is found in loving others unselfishly,
and putting yourself in the way of grace with
an open heart and awareness.
For some damn reason, or for a lot of damn reasons,
it’s difficult to be open and to receive love.
And, as I said above, part of the reason
it’s so difficult is that love hasn’t been mirrored for us.
Who are the examples of unconditional love in your life?
A question worth pondering. I have found it helpful
to think about those that have loved me unconditionally
and what that feels like. My pets even come to mind.
I’m fortunate to have a few people who love
me like that and as I said when I think of them and
meditate on their love it helps me to emulate that
and gives me the desire to love others in
the same way. It’s infectious even just to think
about it.
Let me wax poetically...
Thankfully, divine love is like a tractor beam on Star Trek.
(okay that wasn't very poetic)
It’s wooing us. It’s pulling us in.
It’s inevitable. It’s final. It’s without end.
There are no conditions.
Whether we know it or not it’s a
motivating factor behind everything we do.
Even the void or the lack of love is love.
It’s the Alpha and the Omega of Wisdom.
It’s the elixir of the saints.
It’s incarnate when we experience nature's beauty.
It’s darkness and light.
It’s joy and sorrow
It’s pleasure and pain. Weakness and strength.
Love is all things and no-thing at the same time.
Love can be difficult. Maybe that’s why I resist it?
It’s difficult to receive and can cost you your life
if you give it away.
God help us!
Did the father's love change when the prodigal left
home and squandered his inheritance in a far off land?
Did the father love him any more or less when he returned?
Let’s not make a law out of love.
Let’s just do it.
Receive it and give it away
without judgment and without measure.
My walk is coming to an end. It was lovely.
The sun is out which is always a gift here
on the West Coast of Canada. I was able to talk
and laugh a little with “the regulars.“ There was
lots of beauty as usual. Light streaming through
the trees. Buds on tree branches starting to pop.
The water on the ocean inlet was calm.
I wasn’t as present as I would’ve liked. Meh!
As I write this I can feel the unforced rhythms
of nature and grace and that’s all that matters.
Isn’t that love?
Take good care,
~ Rod
P.S. - A song I can't get out of my head...
The meditation I created is called Experiencing Oneness in a Divided World. In it, we explore a deep and comforting truth: that everything is connected.
As I venture out this morning, I'm thinking about the Mary Oliver poem, wild Geese, where she says, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
I just want to bow 🙇♂️ in gratitude (also laugh because there’s a 🙇 bowing emoji)
For a period in my life I used to go to a particular place in a park not far from my house to meditate and pray. It was the beginning of a practice that I continue to practice to this very day, although this post is about a time when I took a break.
Our guest today is author Eric Janzen. Eric is probably best known for his high fantasy fiction books. He's written a trilogy called The Dreamtrekker Journals Trilogy, and more recently released a new series entitled The Essence Tales. In Eric's bio, he says he will continue writing until he can't anymore.
Our daughter Jess gifted me with a poem today. She says... Wrapping up my last few days on the coast for now… it’s been so amazing to get so much “normal” time with my family, and one of my favorite things is morning walks with dad. His practice of noticing and of being quiet enough in spirit to notice the minute details is always a gift.
Our new little bundle of joy - August (Gus) Matthew Toews - has reminded us all how powerful and incredible love is.
I am contemplating emptiness this morning which I know sends cautionary shivers down the spines of some Christians. I was warned about this by a "well-meaning" Christian on the weekend when I used the word emptiness at a retreat I was co-leading.
snowy days (meditation) Hints of Gladness
Are sounds like this (birdsong, babbling brooks) meant to touch our souls? I think they are.