THE AFTERMATH - WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Of course the coming election is eating up our time, our energy and, if you have a diverse group of friends good will towards others.  I am not going to go on and on about who you should vote for, that you should vote,  that you are a bad person for wanting to vote for someone who I think is wrong or even, that you're wrong for feeling that voting for anyone is making you miserable.  No, that is not the intention of this writing.

My question and the one that runs through my head more than I care to admit is, "Who will help us heal?"  No matter who wins this election, "WHO WILL HELP US HEAL?"

There may be some of you who think, "Heal from what?  If only (insert name here) won, we would be fine."  And there are others who have been so hurt, so traumatized by the rhetoric, the nasty words, the hateful ads and the images that bring up past harms, who know that to continue, we must face ourselves and seek peace.

Love...  A word filled with so many expectations, so many images and so many wants and needs.  What's LOVE got to do with it?

EVERYTHING!  How can I intentionally harm if I love? How can I ignore wrongs to myself and others if I come from a place of love?

I am not talking about wimpy love or the surface love that has no heart.  I'm talking about an appreciation of being, of life and of well meaning.

If you have been harmed, can you feel love?  That is a challenging one.  I am all for loving one another but, mentioning the name of a person in my past can still raise my hackles.  There is the dilemma.

For years, I secretly wished this person harm and reveled in their foibles.  Many a wise person suggested ways to release this anger and I would give it some thought accompanied by weak action.   You see, I didn't want the healing forgiveness brings.  I enjoyed the resentment.   One day, it occurred to me that the harm was mine and that energy held me in prison until I became willing to let it go. Like the old saying goes, "Holding on to a resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.",

Used with permission, www.connecticutphotos.com

Fear is driving this election process.  The fear of not getting, the fear that someone is getting more, the fear of losing, the fear of others and the fear that IF we moderate and negotiate, we will lose.

Strength never comes from a place of fear.  Strength is about confidence.  Your beliefs may differ from mine.  That is ok because everything I believe in is not necessarily good and right. (Ask me my opinions on this food called Scrapple.)  If we believe and yet, are willing to listen, to research and to learn, we become strong.

And, if our strength is rooted in the goodness of love (again don't ask me about Scrapple) of all beings and the earth, we will heal.  And a good healing is what we ALL need!