Category: Love

Love, The First Fruit of the Spirit

6/5/2024

Most mornings I glance over a list of the nine Fruit of the Spirit, written in Paul's letter to the Galatians 5: 22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, patience, gentleness, and self-control. Although put forth in a Christian context, these fruits are expressed in all faith traditions, and, safe to say, resonate with you who follow my blog . For the next nine postings, I plan to share ways that each fruit supports my longing for silence, solitude, and simplicity. No research, just ways that each speaks to me in my daily life.
# 1 Love. Let me start by saying that it is often easier to be loving toward others when I'm alone. More love is present within me when my brain, not just my body, is in solitude, and not mentally chattering and going over and over something, . The solitude I long for is not only about choosing to be physically alone; it is also about choosing to have loving thoughts.

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Let's keep walking the high road together

11/2/2022

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We’ve celebrated the saints and now it is time for all the souls. The souls—people we know, strangers and, yes, we must include ourselves. So much suffering out there, but never let that smother the hope.
All the lying, meanness, and evil that has enveloped our country continues to be met with truth telling, kindness, and love. Souls, including me, are struggling to keep on the high road, to speak our truth with love, to help all people, not just those with whom we’d love to journey with. During these tough times, those of us who still hold onto hope, must speak out and act on the good things, the good possibilities.
My faith tells me to love my enemies. I’m working on that one. It sure is a challenge but I don’t want to give up, which is one reason I keep this blog going. So, thank you, you silent, solitary, and simple souls, for listening and walking the high road of hope with me.

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Universal love

9/7/2022

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Since my last post, less than a week ago, life has continued to happen. My older sister became a year older; my niece celebrated a wedding anniversary; teeming rain eliminated any possibility of a walk; my husband and I voted in the Massachusetts democratic primary; and I’ve finally found a good novel to read.
Clearly no third-world problems to be solve here! However, a ONE-WORLD problem going on. I woke up in the middle of the night upset about all the lying whirling about in the world, lying that is undemocratic, unreligious and inhuman. ALL religions have the message of love at their core. Why can’t we get together on that?

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Sending out love

4/30/2022

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A neighbor, age 41, father of a two year old, died yesterday morning of a heart attack. We didn’t know the family well; they kept to themselves. But that has nothing to do with anything. The neighborhood, which includes my church, is reaching out. What to say? What to do? We can pray, however we do it, whatever that means to us. We find ourselves praying because rayer is what what human being do. We don’t have to be Religious with a capital R to pray.
Just follow what comes into your heart. Send some love out.

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Love has no opposite~

5/11/2017

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     Saturday’s Sing Sistah Sing concert at Memorial Congregational Church (Sudbury, MA) by Andrea Baker, renowned mezzo-soprano opera singer, was undoubtedly one of the best concerts ever. I mean ever. Andrea, who grew up at MCC, returned to her home church bringing love, her love and the love of everyone who came to hear her. We all experienced community at its best.
     Community and love. It can go together, but it doesn’t always happen. Why not? Maybe too often we come together in community to get some business done, such for a committee meetings to decide this or that. Positions are taken but not all can be adopted. Even when we come with the intention to get along and fill the room with love, we are in a binary mode; this or that, one is better than the other, but only one wins.
There was nothing binary about this concert evening. It was about love, which has no opposite such as hate or fear, or even ‘indifferences’ as Elie Wiesel suggests: “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.”
     The love shown by, with and through Andrea was beyond definition, beyond the mind. If I have to locate it somewhere, it would choose the heart. But why analyze when we can sit in the mystery and listen to this exquisite demonstration of love manifested for a few brief moment at a little UCC church in a little New England town?

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Coffee and loving kindness~

3/24/2017

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Here I am, writing at one of my favorite cafes in Florence. I like the extra large cup of cappuccino at this place. Maybe it’s the morning coffee that compels me to return to this city. Maybe it’s that simple. It has never occurred to me to spend two weeks in Boston. No, it’s the morning rhythm of a walk across the Ponte Vecchio for my first cup, and then my second cup with brioche as I write. But coffee isn’t the only reason I have returned; there’s also the food and wine (with no preservatives). Plus friends to visit; friends as in churches, paintings, and sculptures.
Florence exudes peace, calm and optimism, something I didn’t feel in Rome. In this little self-contained city people are enjoying the moment, which makes it easy to send love to everyone I pass. After all, I believe love begets love and we reap what we sow. So along with the coffee, maybe I come to practice that.

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Marching for peace and love

1/12/2017

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Dear Friends,
On January 21st I will be participating in the Women’s March on Washington with my daughter, sister (who lives near DC), and other family members. I am not going to protest but to support the rights of all human beings. My energy is positive and prayeful.

I have begun a list of family, friends and friends of friends who can’t make the trip but who want to be there in spirit. I will keep the list close to my heart, at least for the start, but I may leave it somewhere along the way—in another marcher’s hand, at a designated memorial spot, on Lincoln’s lap. I may release it to the wind or bring it home with me. I’m open for surprises and miracles.

If you would like me to add your name, or the name of someone else to the list, please let me know.

Peace and love,
Bobbi

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Say 'I love you,' and mean it.

1/10/2017

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A friend on Face Book posted the following:
“As I walk into this week, thinking especially about the three funerals I'm attending, I can't help but wonder: if you were to see someone for the last time, are there specific things you would say to or do with them? Would you act differently than you normally do? Why? What can we do to bring our relationships to their fullest before it's too late? Carpe diem!”
Many questions are asked here, others implied. The following statements, however, are a good place to start:

I forgive you.
Forgive me.
I am sorry.
Thank you.
I love you.

We may not need to get into the first three, but always ‘Thank you,’ and ‘I love you.’ It’s the ‘I love you’ one that has me thinking. I don’t want to say it as a throw-away, as in ‘Have a good day.” I have to mean it.
With that in mind, I responded to my friend’s FB query, with , “Say, ‘I love you,’ and mean it.” This takes continuous work, commitment, and prayer, so I’d better start immediately rather than wait until it is too late and I’m on my way to the funeral.

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In the end, love wins

11/9/2016

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     How do we carry on today, this day after Election Day? Not just carry on, but move on in a positive way. Approximately half the country is happy with the results; the other half unhappy, and many of those are scared; scared for the LGBTQ community, for reproductive choice, for Muslims, for the environment, for immigrants, for peace.
     Like the psalmist we can lament; and then, like the psalmist, we can raise our thoughts beyond ourselves, and grab onto hope in something pastthe human response. If we don’t do this, we will remain wallowing in the vitriolic hatred that was the signature of the campaign that just ended.
     There is much we can do to work for peace and justice in our country and in the world. It starts with who we are, with our hearts open to unconditional love, which is where the hard work is. As I go out today, my challenge is to express positive energy and maintain hope. In the end, love wins.

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Locks of love in Florence

9/17/2016

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Locks of Love. Florence isn’t the only city to have them, but how could lovers resist placing a lock on a gate surrounding the bust of Cellini on the Ponte Vecchio? And even with a 50 euro fine! Just think of the time it takes to remove them? I know that periodically happens because on another visit, I experienced the locks ‘here today, gone tomorrow’. I wish I could see the removers at work, but they probably do it at night.

The other day, however, I did see someone arrested for climbing. First I saw her, with boyfriend innocently standing by, climbing over the locks of love fence. I couldn’t tell if she was adding one or just examining those already there. Either way, I thought how blatant and foolish.
A little later, there she was again, climbing the fence into the Fountain of Neptune on the Piazza della Signorina. Then appeared two police, a woman and a man. The lady gave them her passport, and the four of them (boyfriend reluctantly going along) entered the Palazzo della Signoria where the police station is located. The building wasn’t open to the pubic so I couldn’t follow them. I’d love to know the end of the story.