Ahhhh, love … I love fresh fruit, lemon-anything, Greek food, cooked chocolate pudding, the smell of coffee.  I love freedom, justice, flowers, the sound of rain on a tin roof, animals.  I love learning and dialogue and travel and writing and being creative and being healthy and being able to see and hear and breathe and eat and walk and …  I love, and am grateful, for them all.

But none of these is the same as the love for the special people in our lives that moves us into moments of self-reflection, selflessness, forgiveness.  Such a love takes time – and work.  It is a love without conditions … unconditional love.  How is love-without-conditions … unconditional love … shown?  How do families show love?  What about people beyond our … families … religious organization … work situation … in the world?   Do we show our love by speaking/writing words of love?  Do we show our love by our action of the ‘fruit of the spirit’ – patience, kindness, goodness, thoughtfulness, gentleness, self-control, selflessness? Is it just words?  just action?  combination?

And what about people who say they love us but their actions (only love when the conditions are right for them) deny the words. If only … those who ‘said’ they loved, actually demonstrated that love in action, our world at home, at church/synagogue/temple, community organization, in social media would be places of healing, support, encouragement, nurture … love.  If only.

© June Maffin
www.soulistry.com
www.soulistry.com/blog
www.facebook.com/groups/soulistry