 Now I know that most of you have read 1 Corinthians 13 at some point in your life. You know: Love is patient, love is kind? I am currently working on creating a marriage ministry and wanted to give you a sneak peak. I did this exercise last night with my husband and it was just incredible. And no, you need not be married for this one. It is a great exercise for everyone. The only requirement is that you are human and want to actively stand in Love.
The I Am Love exercise can give you direction. I know when I committed my life to Love I was left with the question of, "What does that look like?" Well Honey, this is a great place to look.
In 1 Corinthians 13 it starts out "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
No one can deny that when love is present in our lives that it is more fulfilling. Like the celebrity that has everything that anyone could want: the house, the fancy cars, the trophy spouse. Yet, they are still not happy. They are still looking for more. Love tends to be missing from their lives. So if we are committed to having it present in our lives and standing in it, we can find out in the next few verses what that looks like.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Sounds pretty good- but how does that apply to me the individual? Here's the trick. Everywhere that you read the word Love or It, replace it with your name and read it out loud.
So here is my declaration of who I am:
Angie is patient, Angie is kind. She does not envy, she does not boast, she is not proud. Angie does not dishonor others, she is not self-seeking, Angie is not easily angered, Angie keeps no record of wrongs. She does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Angie always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Try it for yourself. Now g'on out there and be Love!
 Courtesy of Glassy Baby Last night I was talking to a friend about the flirtatiousness of being in business: the leaning into it, do I want them, do they want me, the contact, the thrill of anticipation. Last month I wrote a short piece about this very thing- you can check it out here. And, within seconds, I felt the rush of passion. You know the one that starts deep within, as I spoke more about it. The sensation that I got just thinking about the excitement of the chase, and the fulfillment of being desired. The heightened frenzy that is present when you are in that creative mode, and not having a defined road map, but just knowing that you are headed for Nirvana. And then I got present to the fact that there I was sitting in a car with a gorgeous human being, but it was the love of business and just how damn sexy it is that was getting me going. Even now, just thinking about how I can lose my inhibitions and fully step into what's possible blows me away. Apparently, I am not alone in feeling this way. I am not the only one who takes on business as a lover of sort. The fabulous Mr. Jonathon Fields wrote a poem for our shared love. A Love Poem for EntrepreneursIf you have lost that loving feeling for your business, check to see if you are with holding from it. Take it on the way that you would a love interest and see what sparks. I am yours. Will you be mine?
I have learned that part of belonging to a thriving community is ensuring that folks are self-expressed: fully. That is when we really get to shine and show just what we are made of- we get to make the world a better place. I have also learned that sometimes in order for that to happen it means that they have to leave a particular geographical location in order to do just that. And there we are left- with a hole in our heart. There is a missing.
But what if that missing is really a clearing for something else? Yanno- that one door closes another one opens, blah, blah, blah? But instead, what if that door never actually closes?
Ok, getting into the details and less about the concepts... my family has been blessed with a woman in our son's life for the past year or so that, I swear, IS magic. She sees the beauty in all things and ensured that the children continued to see it around them. She did not get caught up in Life "lifeing" at her and allow it to stop her from living on her terms. There could not have been a better being in our son's life than her. Recently I heard someone refer to her as Mary Poppins in the flesh and by George, they were spot on! As Mr. Banks says, "It's that woman, Mary Poppins. From the moment she stepped into this house, things began to happen to me!".
Our Mary Poppins left for The Big Apple today and she will be greatly missed by not only our family but more than a dozen families that she contributed to. I have been more teary eyed over her leaving than I truly expected. I mean, I have had plenty of partings- why is this one so different? I blamed it on it being the first major parting for our son- but really, he didn't seem to mind. It was just what was so to him. Then I thought that it was because I was considering the impact on the many children that she has had. But that wasn't it either. I was saddened, no grieving, for the loss of pure magic on a near daily in my life. I was having to let go of someone that I connected with- you know those people that you would trust your soul with when you first meet them, yeah- she was one of those! I didn't want to let go. So I am choosing not to- it is all choice after all.
Now I don't mean getting all creepy and stalker like! What I mean is that, in this case, I don't have to let her 'go'. If I enlarge my perspective of my community then she never left it- she just changed positions within in it. And if I choose to see the 'missing' as a space for another person to come into, then I enlarge my community again. And what if your desire for Magic in your world becomes so deep that it is you that takes the helm? Can you imagine?
Our Mary Poppins is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory and is going on to New York to take her place on stage. She will be living her life fully self-expressed in areas that are truly important to her- enriching everyone that comes in contact with, taking New York by storm. By her act of courage in striking it out her own, not only is my life is more enriched but the children have a role model in their lives of someone daring to dream and to take action to fulfill on those dreams as well.
If you have someone in your life that brings you something special and enriches you in some way, I invite you to acknowledge them and let them know. And should someone thank you, don't brush off- be responsible for the magic that you bring to our world! It is all a part of creating our thriving community.
I love my family
I love my town
I love our world
and I love you!
(yes, you)
PS- I am using this as practice, or example, for when our older children choose to leave. Hopefully this post will serve as a reminder ;-)
Sometimes we have to listen beyond the words to get what is being communicated. And this particular insight that was communicated has been what has put me in action.
Here I sit, creating content for the website and my mind is always running possibilities for process and policies in the background. As usual, my very diverse music collection is set to Random on the media player.
We all very well know that music has a way of stirring up memories and ways of being. Certain music can take us right back to a particular time and place, and it can also brings out the calming qualities that we have while others bring out the nose to the grind stone let's get this thing done mentality- today I need to be in the latter. Next song that plays on this professional, Edmonds Band Booster Mom's media player: Don't Take Me For Granted by Social Distortion. Perfect timing.
I’m your worn in leather jacket
I’m the volume in your fu@%^$ up teenage band
A Pack of smokes and a six pack
I’m the dreams you had walkin’ down the railroad tracks
You and me
I’m your first taste of romance
I’m your first broken heart on a Saturday night
Guys like us ain’t got no chance
But I’m the thing that keeps you and me alive
But not forever
Chorus:
So take me down the road
Take me to the show
It’s something to believe in
That no one else knows
But don’t take me for granted
I’m the blood on your guitar
I’m that wave you caught back in 1975
I’m as strong as a thousand armies
I’m as soft as a petal on a long stem rose
I am love
So take me down the road
Take me to the show
It’s something to believe in
That no one else knows
But don’t take me for granted
I’m with you when you’re born
You can take me when you die
With all the reasons why
But don’t take me for granted
No one knows
Don’t take me for granted
For me, I hear in this song that love creates possibility- that love can look many different ways- it can have you act outside of your preconceived boundaries- it is ever present (even when you rather it wasn't)- it is something of nostalgia and something to live into- but don't take it for granted.
I'm going to let Mr. Mike Ness and the boys remind me to follow my heart and be bigger than I know myself to be... in the name of all that I love. Thanks guys!
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