Love Day

Valentine's Day is here and with it love, for some and sadness for others.  It's got me thinking about all of the teachings (or ideas) that are out there these days, particularly the one about being filled with love and joy and gratitude.  This can be a very confusing teaching.   What does this teaching mean exactly?  Are we supposed to pretend to be happy about things that we're unhappy about?  Are we supposed to love and appreciate everything in our lives just because someone out there has less?  After all there are starving children in Ethiopia, right?  Right.  BUT, we are here experiencing OUR lives and OUR emotions and the most important thing we can practice is honoring that.  "New Age" practices are never about hiding or ignoring our feelings, they are about honoring every facet of life, even the "bad" stuff.   So how does one fill themselves with love and appreciation when they are feeling sad and lonely?  How do we feel good when we're feeling bad?  

Everyone has something that makes them feel good, that fills their heart with love and joy.  Just as everyone has things that make them feel sad and unhappy.  These teachings are simply about choosing which of these we align with.  7 years ago I lost my dad who's birthday was on Valentine's day.  I miss him very much.   I also love and appreciate all that he has given me and the truth is... it's up to me which of these feelings I allow to fill my heart.  These teachings encourage us to fill our hearts with those things that GENUINELY bring love and joy.  We don't have to ignore anything.  We can honor our losses and our sadness and then choose to be aligned with those things that bring us love and joy.   Even though it sometimes seems out of our control, it really is a choice that we make at every moment.  We can spend our days feeling sad or we can fill our hearts with the light of love and we don't need to fake anything.  We just need to take the time to find the truth within.  I hope that you honor all that you feel and that you find the things that fill your heart with love, joy and gratitude, today and every day.  Happy Valentine's Day!  Love ~Rosemary