The evening conversation took me to great memories. The Beatles theme wall neon set the scene for sharing stories and exploring viewpoints. As I listened while reflecting on the broader meaning of the song “All you need is Love”, I found myself following life’s whispers lead into the lessons for the day ahead.
My heart’s longing is to be loved and belong. I am fortunate in my relationships to experience this far more frequently than I deserve. When I am traveling, I find myself acutely aware of how deep and overwhelming this thirst is. Even as I compensate with memories that often trigger a quiet smile that seems odd to those around me, I look forward to when I will be back in the space where I am loved and belong.
Love is more than receiving, it is best understood through actions for others. It may seem counterintuitive, but I discovered what it means to be loved to kindness in action. In living out compassion and care for others, I experienced love and belonging. It changed my awareness and understanding of the gifts others share with me in their relationship. The foundation for love to be all we need is based on unconditional, without a sense of reward, acts of one to the other. In gifting, and in appreciating the gifts of others, I realise love is all I need.
Post love events, I know with certainty and conviction that the world can be a better place today and tomorrow. Paul reminds me that I “know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word.” (Romans 6.9) In this knowledge, belief, and faith grow stronger. In experiencing the unconditional acts of friends checking in on me, exercising patience when I least deserve it and sticking with me in my weakest moments, I experience community from the inside out.
As today begins, my commitment to act with love is absolute. After everything is said, it is all one needs.
