love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13:4-13

NOOOWWWWWW.  those who know me know that i am NOT the religious type.  as a matter of fact, i usually warn folks if i'm going to be near/in/around a church so that they can wear fire-retardant clothing.....lightning strikes are always a real danger. 

i have nothing against churches......or religion for that matter.  ORGANIZED religion and i, however, have never been the best of friends.  i dislike being told what to think, believe, have faith in.   i hold on tight to my own personal faith, philosophy, belief system, values and spirituality. 

so for me to be quoting scripture is a bit.........alarming?  strange?  unsettling?  never fear.  i have not turned away from The Dark Side.  i'm joking, obviously, as i know there are so many who hold scripture in high regard.  as do i --- just not as the only guidebook for how to live my life.

however, the verse above seems to be appropriate right now.   with all of the tragedy in the world, LOVE is that one constant.  we need it --- need to receive it, need to give it............need it for survival.  we can survive without many things, but we do need love.  it is a basic human need.

Fifty years ago at the University of Wisconsin, psychologist Harry Harlow believed that affection and connection were the foundations of life. In a landmark experiment, Harlow took baby monkeys from their real mothers, giving them wire "moms" devised to deliver milk. But the youngsters would only cuddle when their surrogates were covered in a furry cloth. These monkeys thrived, while those with the bare-wire models didn't. The results proved Harlow's theory that attachment to another is as crucial a drive as thirst, hunger and sex.  (Natural Health, 2003, Jill Reimark)

if we could all just give a little love to our fellow humans, i honestly believe that life wouldn't be so hard, all of the time.  now, we can't prevent tragedies such as the one that has befallen the people of haiti.  but, with loving hearts, if we give what we can, we can affect the lives of others in a positive way.

i am trying to be more positive about everything.  it is one of my RESOLUTIONS for 2010.  but the crisis in haiti, our economy, the healthcare debate, the wars in iraq and afghanistan, hunger, discrimination......all of that Stuff is really testing that desire to see the good in all things.  that and other Stuff, of course.  the banal, mundane Stuff that tests us all on a daily basis.  our own personal failings being high on that list.

so i'm holding onto love a little bit tighter right now.  hoping it can carry me through some Stuff..........Stuff in the world, Stuff in our country, Stuff in my family...........(my apologies to george carlin).  and now i'll stop preaching and will jump down from the proverbial soapbox. 

love can't conquer all.  but it can give us the strength to fight another day.