Unconditional

I was thinking about unconditional love this morning, feeling how much I love V., and then I read this post on the Natural Parenting Center blog. These thoughts couldn't come on a better morning, as I have had almost no sleep, having nursed V. for what felt like most of the night. When I wasn't nursing her, I was trying to find space in bed next to her, as she tossed and turned, taking up more space than one would imagine a little body could occupy. (I do love how she sleeps, though, arms and legs wide, owning her own space freely.)

Even though I am a person who has always needed many hours of sleep and who has been known to be highly irritable when I don't get it, I did everything I could to give V. what she needed. Of course, I know that I can't sacrifice my own health, that I need to be well in order to best care for her, but what I was able to give her last night wasn't that kind of a sacrifice. What I did sacrifice was well worth the comfort and sense of security she received. Most of the time, I think of any sacrifice I might be making as an investment in her, and her well-being is worth more than I can say.

I'm not advocating that we give to the point of depletion, but I do think the act of prioritizing others' well-being is an important one. If we can bring simply a minute amount of the unconditional love we try to give our children to our interactions with others, how different might our relationships and our perceptions be? How different might our world be? Wouldn't this be worth the effort as well?

More on Love and Fear

If fear and anger are the root of non-loving, then courage and peacefulness are the root of love. It is a brave thing to choose love, gentleness, and compassion. The Buddhist loving-kindness meditation aids in the heart-opening practice of choosing love. To practice it, you simply imagine someone you know, someone you don’t know, even someone you don’t like (which can be especially transformative). You imagine taking into your heart all of that person’s pain and suffering; you see it flowing from them to you and filling your heart space. But don’t stop there; really feel it. Then, you imagine sending from your heart solace, joy, and love, love, love. Feel that too. As you send loving energy from your heart to this person, you will feel your own heart expanding. It is big enough to contain the whole world’s suffering, and its love is powerful enough to heal deep wounds. I am convinced that this meditation, this prayer, affects not only the one meditating but also the one imagined. Your compassion and love reach that person. Your compassion and love are transformative. And since what we send into the world returns to us, we cannot help but be healed ourselves.