love is every day, always.

you might be saying to yourself, "marlo, Valentine's Day has passed.  why are you writing about love."  yes that particular holiday has passed.  i was beyond under the weather and then on the road for a stretch, so i couldn't share my thoughts...but i have been thinking about what i want to say since then.

and it's this.  love is every day and always.  what i mean is that there are two basic emotions that you can operate your life out of - love & fear.  yes i am fully aware that there are a few more but these are the biggies.  SO. i say again love is every day, always.  choosing to live and serve from your heart, and all the branches of love, is what i believe to be the way to operate every day.  it's a difficult thing to do, given all of our circumstances, obstacles, stress, pain, life etc etc.  i challenge you to try it.  it's what i work on every day.

with that being said, i still enjoy the love behind Valentine's Day and making valentines, cookies, love notes and more. i particularly enjoy making a valentine for one my elderly friends who has been a recipient for many years.  she is also going through a very tough time physically and at her age, the after effects of it all are far harder to bounce back after.  when she receives my valentine, she calls me immediately to tell me how elated she is that i remembered her and how special she feels.  she tells me that she will be hanging it with all the others on her wall of love.

how many of you have a wall of love i ask?  not from me per se but just a wall of love.  well, i do and i look at it every day with a smile!  so i share with you the LOVE that i handmade for my friend.  

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself you have built against it." Rumi 

on a different note of love, i also share with you the oh so persistent christmas cactus' that have been blooming non-stop since november because they are treated with LOVE every day, along with the newest member to the indoor flower family - an orchid.

the orchid was a gift of LOVE from two of my colleagues who shared with me that they loved me, they appreciated me, all that i do for them and that they wanted me to not let the stress of it all compromise my health.  i was brought to tears reading their lovely card and felt so grateful.  so i am going to nurture this beautiful flower with LOVE, every day, always and think of them.

the last i leave you with is a branch of LOVE, compassion.  may we all be filled with it & may we share it with others. 
be well... marlo

"The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings."  Thomas Merton