My pursuit of wisdom, in these times, has everything to do with beauty and with gratitude. And it has everything to do with the reclamation of Love as the healing force on this planet. It is easy to love people and situations that are easy to love; a friendly face, the sun setting in the evening. We can see God in those places. Love becomes what it truly is when we love what seems unlovable to us. When we open to receiving that which we have pushed out, in ourselves and outside of ourselves, we begin to swim in the waters of wholeness. In pursuing wisdom, let us pursue a new definition of Love, or beauty; a definition infused with gratitude. This love is not sentimental or inauthentic. It is a wild Love, that is experienced when we open to life on life’s terms.  It is this Love that allows us to rest in safety. And from that safety, we can reclaim our darkness, and surrender to Chaos that can cause.

Jesus spoke to this definition of Love in the well known teaching of loving your enemy. In Luke 6: 27-32 we hear, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Can we know Love, Beauty, Truth, in their truest and riskiest forms? The denser the forest becomes, the more clearly and precisely the pathway is opened to us. Wholeness lies deeply rooted within our hearts. Will we accept the invitation to come home to all of ourselves? Will we open to new relationships with suffering, and widen the landscapes of our souls to include suffering? Will we elect new leadership, that will inspire and encourage us, to be active participants in the life of our country and our world? There is a quickening, a rising from within us. Let us come home to truth, and live rooted in wholeness.