Love Casts Out Fear
Hello everyone. I have not written much here of late – or at all really. Heh, and I consider myself a writer! However today I find I have a bit of “time out” due to babying a back issue. Long story short – I have several issues surrounding my lower back and of late, in addition to being out of alignment, my muscles have “chosen” to enter into a symphony of spasms that result in horrible nerve pain down my legs. Pain is definitely an awaken-er of souls. In this post I’d like to focus on the power of Love within community and how it can bring us all together.
Love casts out fear. The symphony of love within humanity can heal all ills.
Back to the Future
Regarding my recovering from back pain, a (very) special shout-out of love and appreciation goes out to Noble of Thrive Chiropractic for his concerted help with my overcoming this challenge. So caring and attentive is he as a healer that I fully intend on swinging back into Boise anytime I am in need of treatment. Thanks Noble, I do indeed love you!
So here I am, looking into Erin’s, Pangur’s and my future. I must be honest – the road has been long and it has had it’s potholes. One learns, however, to slow down, observe and take heed of the road just ahead, and gently roll over the obstacles life deems necessary to lay in front of us. After all, in the larger scope of things, life is a school. We are here to learn, to grow, and to advance our soul. THIS is the purpose of life my dear friends. One only need look deep inside to realize this Truth.
Wax on, Never off
As I sit here waxing philosophic over my/our life, Erin is cleaning and organizing Serenity (our trailer) for our journey forward. It has been rather hot here lately in Boise and I have been opening the windows in Serenity daily to alleviate the 99 degree internal temperature. In the days I have entered Serenity to open and/or shut windows, I have let myself sit down on the edge of the bed and simply meditate on my presence in this new environment. I kid you not, it has welcomed me. Erin’s current tasks, in my view, are our welcoming Serenity into our life.
This quasi-spiritual exchange carries forward a truth I think we all need to realize. The world around us is alive. It yearns for our recognition. It awaits our awakening to the acknowledgement that we are all part of a singular whole. We are a part of one another.
Love Casts Out Fear
And herein lies the point of this simple post. Erin and I are separated by vast miles from those we love (save one – Erin’s brother in Nampa). Our beautiful daughters and grandchildren live on opposite ends of these United States and we miss them dearly. However, we are finding that “family” is not so far away as only those with whom we share a blood-bond.
What we are moving forward into, of course, is due to our own power of will to pursue what we (1) desire and that which, we (2) know is our destiny. However! There is more to it than that. We are learning through such force of will to love. Oh, we love one another – that much has been solidified over the 30 years we have been together. What I reference here is the love that we, as human beings, begs to be shared among those around us.
We now live in a world of fear – fear manifested through the propaganda of an unseen enemy we call a “virus”. I do not want to fall into a pit of political or otherwise motivated views on this worldwide “crisis”. But, since I sense my reader might be curious, my view is simply this – the real “virus” is fear. Lest we forget – and have forgotten – perfect Love casts out fear. It is this Love that I want to touch on.
Our Possessions in Storage
In our efforts to scale down our life, we nevertheless needed to rent a storage unit to retain our “kept” possessions for what we have coined “the other side” (of our life of travel). To shorten a perhaps longer more heartfelt story, the storage company/location we found is managed by a couple that, before “covid”, had aspirations much the same as our own – take to the road and live life for a while. Boy oh boy. Here was an instant family connection. Cherry and Joe are perhaps the most simpatico couple we have ever met. I believe it is what is deep within each of our souls that immediately connects us as family – the incredible family of humanity.
There has been such a deep reciprocal exchange of love, respect, and admiration between the four of us in even such a short time, that – and here is where I open myself up – it is nothing less than a blessing from the Spiritual realm. I know that is a pregnant statement to make. One that might frustrate some with any further comments lacking, but there it is. If you want to know more, I am open to your asking…
Love casts out fear.
The Year Prior
Prior to the year leading up to the final “jump off” of this new endeavor, I worked for a local farm and family supply store here in Boise. It was my first job (in my 59 years) in retail. It was a high challenge at first – getting acclimated to how the daily routine operated, how to work out my personal responsibilities for the job, and, most challenging – customer contact & service. Eventually, however, I became part of something I will now treasure as I go forward.
I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in 2003 and worked for over 15 years in the tech industry. I met and “clicked” with many people I came to consider friends (and still do!). That too was a challenging road for me – and friends made the road much smoother along the way. However. The one thing that never set well with me was certain CEOs that referred to the company of employees as “family”. That always bugged me as being very insincere given the nature of tech culture.
Then, due to an acquisition and my subsequent stint in retail I found that such a designation of “family” when attributed to a group of otherwise unrelated individuals could actually be accurate. And so it was. I worked with a group of people I came to trust – one of which helped me work through difficult personal times – Mel :). Friendships grew out of relationships with so many wonderful people (y’all know who you are). We were a team. We were, without the bond of blood, a family. I love every one of them. And I will always carry them with me wherever I am.
Love casts out fear.
Real Estate
Then there was the “chance” meeting of Buddy at the same retail store one afternoon. We got to talking. We got to sharing. This led to his becoming our Agent handling the sale of our home. It is not easy to call someone who you connect with for business purposes where a lot of money is involved a beloved friend. But that is what Buddy has become.
As our agent, he gave us a suggested list price. Our gut told us different (higher). He supported us. All said and done, we sold within 24 hours far beyond our listing price after a short-lived bidding war. Buddy allowed us the room to follow our hearts and we all benefited. Yes, even the buyer. Our desire was to sell our beloved home to a tried and true Idahoan. That desire nearly didn’t come to fruition as a out of town cash buyer put in a bid at the eleventh hour. It was not meant to be. We sold to a retired Idahoan with 12 grandchildren and made by far the greatest amount for our retirement possible.
True, it all came down to business, but we firmly believe our love for what we felt was “right” won the day for all concerned. It is our sincere prayer the buyer has far more happy years in this house than we have.
Community
So where is all of this headed in the point I want to make? The point is this; We are living in unprecedented times. We are facing an uncertain and threatening future. The powers that be (seemingly) want us in a state of “dog eat dog” i.e. suspicious of one another, even hating one another. But we are a community. Please don’t forget this. We are a community of people – human beings – that are here, ALL of us, for an expressed purpose. That purpose? To learn to Love. Not only one another, but to love life itself, all of creation. We cannot exist without the trees, or the rivers, or the oceans, or the clouds, sky and Earth. Dear people – we cannot live without those little unknowable’s we currently refer to as “viruses”.
We need all of life to live in harmony. The symphony of life requires the strings, the horns, percussion, the keyboards… and the small ting of the triangle. Without all of it – without each little part – without each other, there is no symphony. There is no Music of the Spheres. There is no life.
Let us all move forward as a single entity composed of many different parts that, together, comprise a most wonderful symphony of Love. The symphony of love within humanity can heal all ills.
Love casts out fear.
Thanks for reading.
Memento vivere
“…and the greatest of these is love.”
Some days my faith in humanity is all but gone. Then there are those days, when just one small gesture reignites that faith.
I hear you. Read the post “Rock of Ages”. We are meeting people – genuine people that are still clear headed and see through the propaganda and choose to share Love over Fear. Hang in there! xox