Who has captured your love today?
I think about friends who are delighting in a new grandchild.
I think about a dear friend whose mother's memorial service is on Valentine's Day, and she is learning a new way for her mother to be with her.
I think about a friend who grieves for the daughter whose life has changed in dramatic ways.
I think about our grandson who celebrated his twelfth birthday this week and about our granddaughter who, as a junior in high school, moves forward in the college search process.
I think about our neighbor who decorated Valentine cookies with her grandchildren and shared them with us.
I think about the women in my two writing groups who wrestle with words and bravely, express their deepest feelings.
I think about all those on the prayer list at church and those not on the list, but in need of prayers.
I think about public servants who do the right thing.
I think about those waiting for love or in the swirl of new love and, all of us who have lived in love for many years.
May we all walk in love. Happy Valentine's Day!
An Invitation
Who has captured your love today? I would love to know.
At its core, life is not about things, it is about
relationships. It is the hands we go on holding
in our hearts at the end that define the kind of
life we have led.
Joan Chittister
The Gift of Years
Today is a good day to send love to all the hearts you hold in your heart. And to receive love, too.
An Invitation
Here are some heart-filled questions to consider from Wise Aging, Living with Joy, Resilience, and Spirit by Rabbi Rachel Cowan and Dr. Linda That.
* Who has loved you in a way that encourages you to be your best, most authentic self? As you think about your current relationships, are there people you genuinely love and whose love for you feels transparent and trustworthy?
* Who invites you to grow and helps you reach self-understanding?
* For whom are you that sort of friend or relative? What is it about you that allows you to fulfill that role?
I would love to know.
Happy Valentine's Day!
I heard on the news yesterday that Walter Mondale, who was Vice President under Jimmy Carter, was at the Mayo Clinic where he had just had heart surgery. Of course, he did, I thought, for surely he is heartbroken. His wife Joan had died only days ago.
We are brokenhearted when there is a profound loss.
We wear our heart on our sleeve when we can't help but show our love.
We take heart.
We lose our heart.
We offer our heart.
Pure of heart. Aching heart. Soft heart. Valiant heart. Noble heart. Tender heart. Understanding heart. Peaceful heart. Our heart's desire.
I was driving home from seeing my Dad when I heard about Walter Mondale and instinctively I placed my hand on my heart in a gesture of understanding, connecting, and blessing. I am aware of how often I rest my hand on my heart when I hear or see something that touches me. That simple motion in which I sense the power of the organ that maintains the flow of blood through my body reminds me to open my heart to not only what I feel, but to the needs and desires of others. I feel a connection when I touch my heart.
Before I meet with a spiritual directee, I pause with my hand on my heart and I whisper to myself, "Listen with the eyes of your heart." When I find myself in the midst of a heartfelt conversation, whether professionally or personally, when someone is pouring out their heart to me or when I sense a heart that is tight and constricted, I prompt myself to be present with a listening heart.
A Habit of The Heart
Recently, I decided to set the alarm on my phone to ring at 4:00 in the afternoon every day. That is often a low point of the day for me, but now it has become a welcome time of the day, for the alarm signals me to stop and pause. To rest in silence briefly and listen to the beat of my heart. With my hand on my heart I become more aware of where I am and who I am and of the love I have to share. I become more centered in the life I am blessed to have and for at least an instant, I feel bonded to all of God's creation.
An Invitation
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I wonder what your heart gesture will be. I invite you to listen with your heart, to offer your heart, to open your heart. Who knows where that will lead!
Who has captured your love today? 
