Guiding Thought
Love is unconditional. We choose to be unconditionally devoted to the Love which is unconditionally devoted to us. We embrace life in Love as our True nature. Connected with All in Love, we stand boldly in our heart-centers, unwavering in our dedication to Unity of Life in Love.
Contemplation / Reflection
Love is unconditional. Hmm, think we addressed this earlier – like on Day 3, or Day 13. Each time it comes up, it elicits a different response. I am a different person than I was on Day 3 or 13. Tomorrow is my husband’s and my anniversary. Someone once said “if you want to participate in one of life’s most challenging/rewarding personal growth trainings, get married and stay that way”. We’ve been doing this for lots of years now. It’s been easy, hard, fun, tearful and wonderful. My husband and I agreed years ago that we could have whatever differences of opinion we wanted and that would be okay, so long as we agreed that the relationship itself was NOT up for question. I think that may fall in the category of “unconditional”. Once we settled into that, I began to test the waters on whether I could approach other relationships with this same level of unconditional loving devotion and acceptance. I find that, most of the time, I can. It’s a freeing, humbling, enlarging experience. Sometimes I find myself wishing that this person would say thank you or that person would call more often, or someone else would make the plans for us to get together. Then, I take a step back and ask myself whether I REALLY want to change that person, or if I can love and accept them as they are. Usually, the easiest one to change is myself!
Guest Contributor Mary Wallace
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Journey of Beauty Begins April 18!
Apr 18 Preliminary day Introduction: Why A Journey of Beauty (02.10.0)
Apr 19 Preliminary day Commitment and Dedication (02.10.00)
Apr 20 – 29 Days 01-10 Round One (02.10.01-10)
Apr 30 – May 9 Days 11-20 Round Two (02.10.11-20)
May 10 – 19 Days 21-30 Round Three (02.10.21-30)
May 20 – 29 Days 31-40 Round Four (02.10.31-40)
May 30 – June 8 Reflection days Gently care, de-fuse, and write one day of reflection on the Journey (02.10.41)
SusanWithPearls 
Here is Mary’s Off-Line Response to me:
In our culture many of us are taught from very young that we “need” another to complete us, to be whole. Music, television, poetry and books all laud the state of being “in love”. My husband laughed and said “in love is an immature version of unconditional love”. I couldn’t think of a better way to state the error of the teachings we received. In my experience, being “in love” always comes with strings attached.
If we discuss unconditional love, we must first start with loving ourselves unconditionally. That, in itself, can take a lifetime. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. Do I love myself for who I am as well as who I am becoming? YES! From there, I move on to loving “THE other”, THE ONE”. Looking for a relationship to share for a lifetime. BE CAREFUL HERE.
My husband said I had made it very clear from the beginning that I would always love him. That didn’t necessarily mean I would always be with him. I still love any partner I’ve ever shared my life with. BUT, you’ll notice I’m only still living life day-to-day with one of them. He was one who was, as you put it, “on the same page” with me. Willing to grow and change, and expand to include others in our love. No, that doesn’t mean we’re physically intimate with others, but a relationship is so very much more than hormonal! We ARE heart-close intimate with others. And if it’s REAL, it’s beautiful and definitely non-threatening to our existing relationship.
I contend that we can maintain that kind of relationship with ANY one and EVERY one, even a “significant other”. You indicated that your current relationship “only works because you have faith that your partner feels the same”. How do you “do it” when the person you choose is not on the same page? You LOVE THEM ANYWAY. The relationship may, OR MAY NOT, work out the way you imagine. But it WILL work out in some form. Just keep loving them, NO STRINGS ATTACHED.
Not every relationship will have the same level of intimacy, or the same level of trust, but I believe they can ALL have the same level of LOVE if that love is, in fact, unconditional.
A couple of the more profound teachings on unconditional love include:
In Kahlil Gibran’s book, “The Prophet”, he writes:
“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup, but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.
The Bible, in I Corinthians 13 says
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking.
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, , always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
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Mary, When I came to this, ” I began to test the waters on whether I could approach other relationships with this same level of unconditional loving devotion and acceptance. I find that, most of the time, I can.”, I thought….”this is new. and foreign. and a bit of an odd concept to me. I’d like to hear more about it.” I am, for the first time in my life, in a relationship that I have chosen to put ahead of any/all/every disagreement or disruption. There is something freeing, but also stabilizing for me I’ve noticed. But it only “works” because I have faith that my partner feels the same way. How do you “do it”, when the person you choose to give unconditional loving devotion and acceptance is not on that same page? Or…have I misunderstood your “approach”?
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