When I was in seminary, the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, President of Starr King School of the Ministry, taught a one credit required course (the only required course in that alternative learning environment) called “Watching over the Love”. We were to be attentive to where we saw love moving in our lives, and then have a conversation with her about it. Simple, right?  Almost simplistic. Maybe so, but also ‘sneaky deep’. That invitation to become attentive to love’s movement in my life was a catalytic part of healing some of my childhood wounds.

Now, twenty years later, with frail parents, and kids who are growing up far too quickly, I find myself circling back to the centrality, indeed the essentiality, of Love. It wells up in me most profoundly in the face of loss, suffering and transition.

Lately, the rest of it — the bickering, the annoyances of everyday living, the illusion of material needs — have less of a hold on me, as I find I can more easily return to the central grounding of Love. Appreciation and compassion, Love’s companions, ground my relationships and my outlook.  And I feel gratitude for the very privilege of living. With Love as a foundational experience, life is much more sweet.

As we journey into the glorious days of summer, I invite you to Watch over the Love as well.  And, this fall, share your journey with me, or someone else.  

May your summer be filled with many joyful and soulful moments.

peace,

Lydia