the way

we know the way, we’ve got the way

we’ll share the way

to bring you back home to the peace where you belong

so many lost highways that used to lead home

but now they seem used up and gone

they sure had the magic when they were first found

but not this road, this road has never been closed

it’s still brand new

{Neil Young, The Way}

Tuesday November 24, 2009 By Kevin Morrow

Hi everyone, what’s up?

Funny how I ask that question but I don’t really know your answer until you comment. So comment after you read this blog post and tell me what’s up. Here’s an even better idea, comment what you think about this topic.

I was on facebook and I saw this as a “status update” on my friends page. I thought I would talk about it especially since what I have to say wouldn’t fit on facebook.

So let’s get into this…

Why Are You Afraid to love?

I’ve heard some people say because they are not in control, and as a result they feel the other person is. Let’s look at this from TRUTH. If it is not perfect, unconditional love, it’s illusion. The reason a person would feel like they have no control has nothing to do with love. It has everything to do with fear of love. People are associating love with hurt and pain because they “think” that love can be taken from them.

Love cannot be taken from you. Love is something that is eternal within you, it doesn’t leave. The difference between love and “emotions” is that emotions are created by the mind that separates itself from the feeling of perfect love.

You are the only person that can control your reactions, so thinking somebody else is in control is in your own mind. If you believe things to be this way, that is the way it will be for you.

But check this out…If you love yourself, like perfect love DOES, you cannot be hurt by love. Hurt is the opposite of love and the opposite of love is not real. The opposite of love is an illusion of your mind. That’s why it doesn’t feel right.

Wherever there is fear, there is a calling out for LOVE.

Some say they are afraid of love because you can’t guarantee what will happen in the end. This is also an illusion. You can’t guarantee that you will wake up tomorrow but you still go to sleep. The only thing you can guarantee is that you control your reactions.

Love is not a thought, love is REALITY. This is why everybody seeks it, because they feel they are separate from it. Fears are thoughts. They come from a mind that “thinks” it is separated from love. If you didn’t think you were separated from love you would not have these fears. So the question to ask is, why do you feel like you are separate from love?

If you are afraid of love, you are most likely looking for love outside of yourself. From another person, or valentines day card, or roses, or chocolates, something external that has no real value. The real value of love is internal. That’s why people who love themselves do not fear love. Because they are love.

Think about it…The world is always changing, why would you look for love outside of yourself? It would always change. Your inner beliefs are what make the reality you “think” you see outside of your self.

You are afraid of love because you are afraid to take responsibility in the fact that it’s your fault that you are not experiencing it the way you know you should. This is what causes the conflict. The spirit is perfect love, the mind thinks it’s separated. The two cannot exist together because one of them is not real.

I’m not pointing fingers, I know this to be reality within myself, and this is how I heal my mind.

If I feel like love is outside of me, and I’m not responsible for whether or not I experience it correctly, then I will blame things, people,events, and I will create fear. None of these things are real, they all pass away.

It’s similar to associating success with a car. If you feel like you are successful because of a car, what are you after you don’t have the car, or grow tired of the car. Are you back down at the bottom of the barrel? Do you have to go out and get another car to be successful again.

The more you do something like that, the more you create illusions of reality for yourself. Love is the only reality there is, everything else is illusion. When I say Love, I mean perfect unconditional love. Not the love that is subject to the “perceptions” of the split mind, and the “gratifications” of the ego. I’m talking about the perfect love that everybody is pursuing without even realizing it.

The only way to heal fear of love is to forgive it’s existence. If you can forgive the fact that you see the fear in others, it begins to heal your mind. Once you realize that if you forgive the fear of love in others, you will begin to forgive the fear of love within yourself. This will heal your mind from the false reality that you are not LOVE.

The link below is to The Escape the Matrix Radio Show “Forgiveness is the New Sexy.”

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/freeyourself/2009/11/15/forgiveness-is-the-new-sexy

found this today.

Variations on the Word Love – Margaret Atwood
This is a word we use to plug
holes with. It’s the right size for those warm
blanks in speech, for those red heart-
shaped vacancies on the page that look nothing
like real hearts. Add lace
and you can sell
it. We insert it also in the one empty
space on the printed form
that comes with no instructions. There are whole
magazines with not much in them
but the word love, you can
rub it all over your body and you
can cook with it too. How do we know
it isn’t what goes on at the cool
debaucheries of slugs under damp
pieces of cardboard? As for the weed-
seedlings nosing their tough snouts up
among the lettuces, they shout it.
Love! Love! sing the soldiers, raising
their glittering knives in salute.

Then there’s the two
of us. This word
is far too short for us, it has only
four letters, too sparse
to fill those deep bare
vacuums between the stars
that press on us with their deafness.
It’s not love we don’t wish
to fall into, but that fear.
this word is not enough but it will
have to do. It’s a single
vowel in this metallic
silence, a mouth that says
O again and again in wonder
and pain, a breath, a finger
grip on a cliffside. You can
hold on or let go.

Man, I’m brain dead today.  I haven’t been able to think straight cause I’ve got a bit of a stuffy nose and the meds make me feel all loopy and stuff.  But I’ve also been kinda just not thinking.  Immersed in a book, as it were.  And I gotta tell you, it feels good NOT to think.

Sometimes I think we all think to much.  Not enough smelling of the roses.  Not enough quiet contemplation.  I’d forgotten how nice it is to sit in a comfortable chair and lose yourself in someone else’s story.  Or to just actively not think about stuff.

I suppose if you’re new age, that’s called meditation.  Or maybe it’s old age, but I really think I need to try to get to that point daily.  Cause, while all my problems didn’t go away, they don’t seem as insurmountable anymore.  And I get to look at them fresh.  Or at least, fresher.

So yea…  I’m brain dead today.  And yes, I’m loving it.

Because Sunday I just couldn’t, and I really need it today – something healthy to reflect upon that is – how about you?

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.

- Vietnamese saying

Expressing everyday gratitude

How often do you remember the people that have made little things possible for you? It’s easy to take our privileges for granted. Today, be more aware of your surroundings–everything from your shirt, house, food, and car–and who has made them possible for you. Who has made it possible for you to experience such wonderful things? One way to let someone know that you truly appreciate their efforts is to send them a quick note or return the kindness in your own way.

Brought to you by SPARKPEOPLE.
____________________________________________________

Happy “short” week of the holiday! Can I thank the pilgrims? Thank you for making this holiday possible. Can I also thank all the turkeys out there? No, not your ex-boyfriends. The bird! No, not “Let’s all do the bird”, dance with Morris Day and the Time, or THE BIRDS by Alfred Hitchcock. I, totally, just dated myself.

I mean Turkey, and dressing served on platter. Yes, Yum! Happy Thanksgiving! I am so happy, and thankful – I swear it’s not just the extra days off (I think?).

This post is really about everyday grace, and not just the time of the year. My first thought that comes to mind is my mom. Hey, she wasn’t perfect by any means, but she PLAYED with us. She instilled manners, respect, morals, and fun. She is still fun, and she STILL plays. I love her! My delightful child-like mother, who encouraged independence, love of children, and animals, forever in my sentiment. Thanks mom for being you.

I am thankful for my health, and my limbs. Yes, that is what happens when you are raised by a handicap father. Suddenly, having healthy working legs is a BIG deal. How easy it is to take our mobility for granted. How quickly it can be taken from us.

Having and keeping a job in this economy. Can I just say, “WOW!” I never worried about my job during the Gulf War. I never worried when airlines stopped paying commissions to travel agencies, and the owners flipped their lids, and we had to start charging fees.

I was not even concerned when the internet arrived with Orbitz, and Travelocity, and the airlines following close behind, this book your own moxie. Why use a travel agent? But I knew not everyone would, especially larger corporate companies, which was my specialty. We were still needed.

Then, the devastating blow of 9/11 sucked the soul out of us, but not the heart. In spite of all that, NOTHING has compared to this last year in the travel industry. Nothing. So thank you, dear job, I am so grateful for you.

My sister, no we don’t live close. We are not close in age. I barely remember her living with us growing up. She was more of a little mommy than a sister. But oh, she is my livelihood. How I adore her, and look up to her, even now that I’m grown and can see, she actually has flaws. She will always be my big sister, and my best friend. God made us sisters, our hearts made us friends. That saying is so true with us.

My dear Jason, far and above, the most paramount man, I have ever met or known, besides my step dad. The thought this man puts into every single thing, a quiet responsible purpose of pursuit, with patience and utter endurance, just to offer the best of himself to those he loves.

Yet, he is always willing to listen to my flash bulbs of babbling brilliance. They pale in comparison to his “bigger” picture brain and burn out just as quickly in light of his deep embers. I can’t imagine a more fitting complement than what we are to each other.

Out of 9 MILLION people on Facebook, I found you, the one, and only you. How small I am compared to the grander illustration painted for both of us.

My daughter Sydney, you amaze and entertain me. Your quick wit, and non-typical teenage antics. By far you are more stylish than I ever could, would, or should be in this lifetime. Thank GOD, you know which shoes go with what. I will forever embarrass you with the wrong outfit just so you can say, “Mooooooommmmmmm, no.”

There are so many others, the scope of which encompasses to an eternity, and I hope you know who you are, because I don’t have enough words to attribute.

I hope I show my kindness to each of you in return. I hope you know how much you mean to me. I hope I express it, not just in words, or deeds, but in every hug, and in every email, text, or comment. I know where my appreciation comes from. It comes from YOU. It comes from your heart. It comes from where YOU came from. What a blessing you are. I am overjoyed to be in your life.

Graciously, I go into this wonderful week with you. Please share your gratitude with me. I’d love to hear it. And I know it will make you feel good (besides, I bet you have already typed it out, HA).

*Today is situational saturday: my day to ramble on love, life, writing and relationships!

Do you ever have a day when you just feel like starting again? Do you wish you could get up again and hit the “do over” button? Do you wish you could just say, “nevermind”…and everything and everyone would go back to normal?

This German lady had 55 years worth of days like that: http://bit.ly/7ifr0b  To sum it up, she fell when she was 4 years old and suffered with a pencil up her nose for all that time. Yep. That’s over 20,000 days that she probably wanted a do over. 

Do you walk around with stuff stuck in your head like that? No – I don’t mean a pencil. I mean thoughts, worries and scenarios that keep you up at night? Those are the things that cause headaches, strained relationships and sometimes stressed related sickness.

If you are experiencing that right now, take time out to do something about it. Don’t let those thoughts and fears fester for years and years. All they do is take time off your life.

Here are some suggestions:

Go on a hike. Take a camera and shoot some pictures. Better yet, take an art pad and draw what you see.

Call a friend you haven’t seen in a while or send them a letter.

Pray.

Sing at the top of your lungs…and don’t worry about who is hearing you.

Rent a funny movie and laugh until your sides hurt!

Cook dinner for a friend if you’re able – and then make a date to do it again in two weeks. You’ll both have something to look forward to!

Don’t believe the lie that you will always be under a cloud of worry. It simply isn’t true.

Dance.

Write a poem.

Pray. (I know I already mentioned that, but it is worth repeating)

We all have been given the gift of life. Too often, we squander it. What are you doing today to celebrate the life you’ve been given? Right now, I’m going to bed as it’s after 1:00 am. BUT in seven or 8 hours…wow! The world better watch out!

I want to be the best I can for you,
I want all your dreams to come true.
How can one accomplish this;
and give their fullest love certain bliss?

Lets search these waters high and low
amidst the darkest shadows that we sow,
For the perfection one can bring forward
-and the likes to which your heart preferred.

So we have come past all the romance;
made our silent vows, now step our dance,
Within that I wish to obstruct parts of me,
to give to you the best that we can be.

Time with flow unincidentally betwen us,
and now before too late I must confess,
That be all the strength within me now
-to the unspoken fantasies, do avow!

I am, of course, *loving* how US conservatives are going crazy over Obama’s bowing to the Japanese Emperor. How dare he show respect to the titular leader of a foreign country?! Never mind how W walked hand-in-hand with the Saudi Arabian royal petro dealers or cozied up perched on their arm rests.

Obama playing nice in Japan and currying favor in Chinese signals a shift from the aggressive unilateralism into a new era where the US must please and satisfy the purchasers of our ballooning Treasury debt. The sexual undertones add to the political realignment of new roles and possibilities.

As others have noted, Obama was poorly prepared for his meeting with Japanese leaders. You do not bow while hand-shaking. It is either/or, or at the least bow-then-shake.

I’m beginning to think it’s because he was never in love at all.  Or he’s a sociopath.

Of course, there is a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone.  I think my husband was in love with me but never loved me.  I think that if he’d ever loved me, it may have taken a little longer for him to withdraw his emotions from me.  But then I may be very wrong on that too.  It’s just that it would be all so much more understandable to me – and certainly to my friends if they were aware of it – if we were a couple who were constantly fighting, if my husband was complaining about me to his friends because I’m such a nag.  Instead, he gave the impression to his family, friends, co-workers and wife, for a long time, that he was a loving husband.

Does everyone know what a sociopath is?  This is one definition I found:  ‘Someone whose social behavior is extremely abnormal. Sociopaths are interested only in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others.’  This would certainly describe my husband’s behaviour towards me in the past few months, but I can now look back and see how his behaviour since I’ve known him has been geared towards his own personal needs and desires, especiall about going to the US…actually, just about everything…he’s always ’sold’ what it is he wants to do to me until I get all enthusiastic about it, and away we go, until he’s on to his next big idea.

Or, maybe he’s not a sociopath.  How do we then answer this question?  I suppose I could try some psycho-babble, some of the stuff I’ve read and gleaned and understood through the years.  I remember reading about transference in regards to psychiatric patients falling in love with their psychiatrists.  Or pregnant women falling in love with their doctors.  I was crazy about my doctor during both of my pregnancies.  He was a wonderful doctor, took the best care of me, and I’d describe him as a wonderful man, too, except that was all based on the time and attention he gave me during our appointments.  He always seemed to have all the time in the world for me and every little twinge of each pregnancy!

Wikipedia has a little bit to say about transference, which really doesn’t quite translate to my feelings on the subject, but, oh well.

But, it seems to me that something happened somewhere along the line that allowed my husband to somewhat gradually withdraw his emotions from me and transfer them to someone else.  How gradual the process was I’ll probably never know.  His obvious withdrawal from me in September may actually have been caused by his inability to separate the two of us anymore, or to interact with both of us in an intimate way.  At that point, she would most definitely have been the more exciting prospect and therefore the ‘winner’ of the transference contest.  I say ‘winner’ that way because I doubt very much that she’s going to enjoy her prize for very long for all kinds of reasons, one being the fact that their relationship started as an affair.  That’s a strike against them.

If he’s a sociopath, then obviously it’s not going to last long because he’s too selfish, his needs come first.  He is able, for a certain amount of time, to convince people that he cares about them but I’m sure it’s for his own selfish ends…his mother may be right, he’s going to end up a sad, lonely old man…

Things have not been going so well. My family feels like it is falling apart and I can do nothing to stop it!

My dad isn’t well and i am truly terrified of losing him. I love him so dearly and I literally can’t see life continuing without him.

My mum is terrified of losing me. She knows my risks and she knows im ‘not quite right’. I feel like I am falling again, that I just want to crash!

However, I am attempting to keep myself busy. Cleaning the flat, doing random things, going for walks, reading, playing guitar, anything that will distract me and stop me acting on the pain.

Does this mean i am learning how to fly? Is life simply about finding distractions so as not to focus on the pain?!

My sister is hurting, a lot and she wont speak to me about it. I know we feel similar and wish she would turn to me. It hurts having the rejection.

I have started restricting food again. I know this isn’t a good plan,  but I am not quite sure how to stop it. I feel fat and out of control. I feel better when I don’t eat. It numbs me and i know i am in control. Everything else feels out of my reach.

My thoughts are all over the place. Uni isn’t very structured at the moment and that doesn’t help much. I want to fix things. If I can’t fix them I at least want to give them structure and support. The truth is I  can’t even hold myself up so how can i help others?!

I need to have true control and I need to be healthy, but I can’t. I just can’t cope. I want to fade away and either fly to someplace where everything works or just fall really hard and crash into the ground!

I love people to beyond breaking point. I would die to save my family, my friends, a stranger. Is that the way it should be. I struggle with feeling isolated and alone. I am surrounded by people that I know love me, but why? I have been hurt and I want to forget and move on but it is always there. My head just wont stop. I feel like I am falling off a huge cliff, but am i simply learning how to fly? The only way to see if I can fly is to jump. If I can’t fly, well at least I know. Standing on the edge is no fun. I need to know either way. I am trying to learn and grow. I never seem to change. One thing goes wrong and I am right back where I was struggling with all the past emotions and feelings. Why can’t I change? Why can’t I fly?

I feel so broken and I don’t have the tools to fix it. I broke some of me but other people helped and I feel like I need help to put it back together.

Does anyone care? Can anyone help? or is it all in my hands? Do i have the ability to make things work? Can my hands heal?

I need to focus and remember what is important. I feel like a lot of people would be better off if I wasn’t here. I really don’t want to exist. But, maybe there is a future… maybe, just maybe things will get better…

I recently found a new blog that happily combines two of my favorite things, horses and fashion. You may not know it but the name of my blog Clotheshorse really refers to my love of clothes and horses thus making me a true clotheshorse. I grew up riding and showing horses and still do while also loving all things fashion. You will see stacks of fashion magazines sharing space with horse magazines throughout my house and I love nothing more than when they are combined!

A french blog, La Cavaliere Masquee, was started to create a place to combine beautiful and interesting images of horses and fashion that are so often used in conjunction in fashion photography and advertising. There are tons of beautiful images to scroll through. Check it out at www.lacavalieremasquee.com.

My Own Horse, His name is Woody and he is a 16′3 hand Quarter Horse (he is half thoroughbred). The first picture is him under saddle and the second picture is him taking a nap looking smart in his black watch plaid blanket.

Why do people become lonely?  Especially when that person is a loner.  I just don’t get it!  Will I ever meet a woman that’s interested in me?  I doubt it, but I can’t give up.  I have to force myself out of my comfort zone and start socializing more.  Things were so easy in the past.  Now things have to be more difficult and I hate it, but what can I do?  I hate living like this.

It’s been a year and a half since I met Erin.  I still miss her and I still regret how I never got to know her.  Even though we did talk I feel like I’ve blown my one and only chance to meet a woman that’s similar to me.  Will I ever meet another woman like her?  I doubt it, but I can’t let it it get to me.  I do have the potential to meet someone!  I just have to have faith in myself which is hard for me to do.

Am I missing out on life?  People that I’ve grown up with have either got married and have children or went to college.  It feels like I didn’t do a single thing to enhance my life.  Is this why I feel the way I do?  Is it too late for me?  I just want to meet a woman that I’m compatible with so I can be happy.  Skin color is not important to me so I’m not being overly selective.

Am I missing out?  That’s what my aunt said.  Am I jealous of my siblings?  I hate this so much!  Why can’t I ever be happy?!  Is it too late for me to do anything?  I just want to be happy.  That’s asking for too much though.  I’ll never be happy and I’ll never meet a woman that I’m compatable with.  I’ll be alone forever.  That is until I kill myself anyway.  Is this why I want to die so badly?

A Love is an exception to what we usually sense!
We watch an umbrella two to share. Arms around first shoulder
and then waist. A lean each toward other. A cheek, a brush of
mouth to skin. Walking, hair-to-hair and hip-to-hip.
So! Love today is an Accepted exception…

Respect and understanding and Peace and Love—Forever! Amen…

I swear, I don’t have a single coherent thought. I feel my very nerve endings screaming in stress, but I’m not. I’m not worried about anything, but I should be, and I can’t think about them. What good would worrying do? I have choices, there is no worry. And see? That thought process is not very coherent, or incoherent?

I, quite often, don’t make sense. Just ask Jason. Wouldn’t that be fun? Wait, I can give you his answer, “Huh? What?”. I noticed last night, it’s his standard response, and now I’m doing it too. See, Jason and I constantly miscommunicate, it’s a source of humor now. *It has to be, otherwise we’d run screaming from the room*

I don’t hear well. He doesn’t hear well. This is going to work in our favor as we age, I just know it. As I became aware of this last night, when I said, “Huh?” before I actually listened to what he was saying (oh, that’s bad!). I realized, I heard what he said, as he was repeating it. Um. Oops. In my defense, I suspect he does the same thing to me, which is why we both do it. Got all that?  Huh?

I started a different post this morning, but I didn’t want to finish it (right now). I stayed up late watching a movie with Jason, which explains my muddled thought process. I have the dreaded Aunt Flo visit any moment, any second.  It’s not going to be pretty, at least the first day or two, until I put her in her place, stuff her trap with chocolate and pasta, and send her cranky butt packing.

Also, a few weeks ago, I found out from my yearly visit -  yes you ladies know – THAT one.  I have an elevated Thyroid. Uh, Yay? I’ve been expecting that for a while. My mom has Grave’s disease. She has osteoporosis as well. I am just a chip off the old block. Mom, loveyoumeanit..

At least now, I know why 40 degrees is comfortable, and anything else is blasted HOT. Turn on the A/C – where’s my face fan?  Why are you wearing a coat? Yeah, that explains all that. And can I just apologize to my roommates and Sydney? I’m sorry, but the heater is not allowed on unless it’s below freezing outside. I repeat, I’m sorry.

I go see the Endocrinologist the first week of December to see what is going on, and if it matches what Dr. Peters believes (Graves). Sad thing is, an elevated Thyroid should make you lose weight. Not this chickie, but I do think I’d be TWICE as big if I didn’t have an elevated one. So, there’s a plus (and a pun, heh).

Thanksgiving is next week, a lot of people are making their -  what I’m thankful for lists. My mom is talking about visiting, which would be amazing. Last time she mentioned that, she couldn’t come, honestly, I don’t want to get my hopes up, but that’d be the top of my thankful list! Oh yeah.

And, last night, totally unexpected, my favorite post was featured, on The Bold Life. Click on the link, or you can find it under the Joys of Writing tab, or you can go to Tess Marshall’s site, via My Favorite Blogs, over there somewhere —————> or even ^ up there, in What I’m reading tab, which is her book, Flying by the Seat of my Soul, one of the many books I’m reading. It is AWESOME. It means so much to me that she would share my link on her site.

The post link is the story of my step dad who died, August 2008. A Father’s Love. The mention of this story, this time of the month especially, just brings on the waterworks. He was my safety net. Without him,  I always feel – I’m walking the tightrope – on my own. There is no net, no crash pad, no rescue, just vacant free-falling to the floor. In other words, I MISS him, sooo much.

But, I am not alone. Jason is the strongest, most vigilant, and loyal sponsor (thanks, Wilma)  I have ever had (besides God). He is completely reliable, 100%. If I was a needy person, he’d be there for me. I’m not, at least, I try not to be (maybe to a fault). I don’t need saving or rescuing (the old me did, but didn’t know it). I guess it was just the comfort of my step dad being there, a back up, an extra pair of batteries, a just in case.

Obviously, I am very capable. I have lived on my own since age 17.  Paid my own bills, supported a family, and I didn’t even rely on child support. There were some years, I didn’t even GET child support, so I couldn’t rely on it. Don’t mistake that for not appreciating it. I do appreciate it. It helps greatly, but it’s not necessary for my survival. I don’t think I could be that dependent, nor would I want to be (prideful much?).

As you can see, this is not a normal post for me. I have a lot of things on my mind. As joyful as the holidays are, they can be hard for me. I had an ectopic pregnancy one Thanksgiving, surgery that December. The last time I saw my grandmother alive was last Thanksgiving.  This is my second Thanksgiving without my step dad. As thankful as I am, I can’t help but remember.

In the works, I have some great life stories I’m working on…Life with a broken right hand amidst, a downward spiral of the economy (why yes, I am right handed, not to mention that I type for a living). All reservations are booked by computer, air, car, hotel – all – have to be typed in. It’s too good not to blog about it. The Survival.

Another story, at Christmas 2007, about a very good friend of mine and what her family did for me and Sydney. I will never forget it.  You will be astounded by the Christmas spirit that visited us.

So can we all take a big deep breath? (iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn oooooooooooouuuut)  Ahhhh, that’s better (yes, Peggy, I need to get to Yoga class). Thank YOU, if you are reading this, if you comment. I appreciate you more than you know. I don’t have any immediate family members that read my blog (except my daughter sometimes, hi sweetie, I love you! and Jason because I make him- Did you read my blog yet? Did you? How about now?).

So you, YES YOU, dear, kind, precious reader. Give yourself a hug and smile, from me (if you’re there-I can’t see through this box).  Words can not convey what you mean, I know there are so many talented, and creative blogs out there. That you chose to read mine is humbling beyond measure. (wow, that kinda sounded like an airline)

           Respecting all people, places and things.

           Loving without clinging or attachment.

           Giving.

           Not desperately wishing, wanting, needing.

           Extending acceptance to others,

           Without expecting them to fulfill our hearts desires;

           An act of healthy, selfless love.