Lunar / Sun Day Sermon

Greetings One and All ....

Love is a word that gets tossed around, at times aimlessly, as in "I love my car," or "I love that new hairstyle."    But, when you get down to the actual emotion behind the word, we begin to see it as a generality. Yes. Love comes in so many shapes and forms that it looses a little in the translation.  Do we really 'love' our car?  Well, we are probably very strongly attached to it as a tool that we use to get around, so in a sense, indeed, we love it. 

When we tell someone special that we love them, our heart swells with feelings that surge throughout our being.  We feel elated at the prospect that this very special person is in our lives and so, we express these feelings through the word "love."

Those same feelings may not affect us when we talk about our vehicle or a new dress .. and yet, these tangibles serve a purpose in our lives.

We speak of loving our children, and perhaps there is no deeper love than for that of a helpless wee one. And, although parental love is fulfilling in many ways, it is not the companiable love that we would share with a mate.  Children are 'lent' to us for a time, a time of growth physically, spiritually and emotionally.  We know that there will come a time that the relationship will change. They will grow wings and fly off to explore the experiences awaiting them and we will take a back seat.  Does this mean that we stop loving them?  Of course not, but our love for them changes into something more mature ... respect. We have to release our parental hold and give them the freedom to enjoy a full life of their choosing. We know we've done all we can to give them the tools to continue to grow at their own speed and trust that they will emerge from their cocoon as viable contributors to life.

Loving a favorite pet for many people is as strong as companionable love that we might feel for a partner. Dogs, cats and horses come immediately to mind when I think of pet love because these dear friends are capable of returning love to us in their own way, though not in the same way as a partner.   I, for one, absolutely love my animal friends -- my twenty-some-odd cats and two dogs -- they are wonderful beings who have grown to accept me and my husband as their family.  They share our home, our food, and are woven into the fabric of our lives like a mosaic - each with their own personalities and stature. (Photo above is Daniel, one of our 'kids.')

Partner love is the one type of love that we crave yet fear quite often because it involves giving more of ourselves, our time, our efforts and consideration.  Some of us who have been hurt by partner love in the past may become a little gun shy of entering into a committed relationship again and find other ways to express our love to the world.  Few of us hide our love due to emotional set backs or spiritual imbalance.  Partner love often times comes with strings -- conditions.  We set these conditions during the time we foster a relationship.  If the conditions are not met, we may disband the relationship and move on seeking another partner who will fulfill our desires.  This doesn't mean the our previous partner is a bad person; it just means that we couldn't come to an amicable arrangement in setting and meeting conditions that we perceive to be utmost important.

We, as human beings, have the ability to transcend the mores of society and culture because we can share our love of life by giving of ourselves through different outlets in our physical community and cyber community.  The internet has become a huge outlet to meet, help, and share with people who may have been total strangers if it were not for email, chat spaces and web sites.

The most difficult love to offer is true, pure, unconditional love because it doesn't ask for anything in return.  However, unconditional love offers the biggest rewards in that once we open the door to giving, we cannot help but receive it back in other ways.

I guess the bottom line here is ... don't be afraid of the word love.  If you feel it, speak it.  If you want it, look for it.  If it scares you, observe it until you begin to feel comfortable with it.  Love really is all around you .. all you need to do is open your eyes and open your heart.  Whether it is a pet, a child, a partner, a neighbor, a friend, or a community --- the giving is our greatest gift and the receiving is returned to us many times over.

I'll end today's Lunar /  Sun Day Sermon by saying .. even though we may not have met, even though we may never meet ... I love you!

Be blessed !