Loving When It Is Hard To Love

A few weeks ago, I was streaming Agape Live when Rev. Michael Beckwith made the statement "Love when it is hard to love." A few nights ago, I had a dream about Gerald Jampolskly's book "Love Is Letting Go of Fear." Many of us say "I love you" at the drop of a hat to those around us.  We love chocolate or football or any number of things.  And yet as I mention this, if you read comments on Facebook (which I know I should never do) or the newspaper, you discover that there is a lot of hate and bitterness just about everywhere.  I am very much aware that people spout off on the internet because they can.  I assume it is some sort of release of their frustrations.  I am also aware that negativity and violence sells. That is really sad.

My life has been blessed and it is relatively easy to love. I've had some challenges but I've made it through them to the Light relatively unscathed.  I'm sitting here writing this looking out at a beautiful snowfall in the warmth of my home. My healthy, happy daughter is at work.  Friends and relatives are all pretty much safe, secure and happy also.  Life is good.  But.....

What if something happens to change that?  Illness strikes, tragedy happens.  Would I still be sitting here happy as a lark?  I pray that this is never part of my experience but it is reality for many, many people. Unless a person lives in a cave, the tragedies are only too well known to all of us.

I have known people who are so fearful of something bad happening to their family that they are immobilized from living.  Photos of their children are prohibited unless safe and secure within the family unit. Attendance at large events is out.  My feeling is that they are not living. They have allowed fear to "kill" any chance of enjoying the life that the Divine Presence has given us.

Of course, one must be aware of questionable activities and events, but living in a constant state of fear is not productive of a fulfilling life here on earth. Sometimes bad things happen. Trying to figure out why or blaming someone or a whole segment of the population is fruitless.

My daughter and I were blessed a few years ago to meet and spend time with Maria Szapszewicz, a Holocaust survivor.  Maria survived Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen and was liberated from Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945.  As horrible an experience as this was for Maria, she was a joy to be around.  She laughed and smiled and brought joy to everyone she met.  I asked her how she was able to stay so positive.  She indicated that this was her form of revenge.  Her joy was a victory over the Nazi regime. And she loved and was Love personified.

Could I be like Maria?  or so many people who have risen above the tragedies in their lives?  I don't know the answer to that. I'd like to think I could but I've learned that until you are there, you really don't know what you would do.

This morning I came across this article on the Belief Blog.  It fits in very well with my entry today.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/02/a-killing-a-life-sentence-and-my-change-of-heart/?hpt=hp_c1

These are my thoughts to ponder today.  Thoughts about living, loving, and fear. This may be a day to pick up that special little book, "Love Is Letting Go of Fear," and read it once again.  Couldn't hurt.

By the way, a friend asked what Namaste meant.  Copied from Namaste Cafe:

Could this be what Love is all about?

Namaste,

Mareda