The Way To Love

by JamesThomas 33 Replies latest jw friends

  • purplesofa
    purplesofa

    As I was driving home last night, the air felt like the beginnings of Fall, I know how that feels, when summer ends. the sounds, the smell, What nature begins to look like, getting ready for fall.

    I began to cry. Where had my summer gone?

    Where had all my old lovers gone. Why was I alone?

    I would not trade anything for the loves I have had in my life. However fleeting they were true and honest, real, intense, deep, sharing. We all had come together at a time in our lives for whatever reason and shared, expericanced for me LOVE.

    I have found the most loving gesture was gracefully letting the experiance be over when it really was over and not hang on, lie to myself and say I hated this person, fool myself into thinking it was forever. So now I can carry the love that was expericanced and still feel it even now.

    Ok, Im nuts

    Thanks for sharing JT, as always

    Love is brutal

    purps

    edited to add: This is a very shallow response to what you posted and I came back to delete it, but decided to keep it here. it wasnt meant to be deep or philisophical. Just a post

  • memario
    memario

    Just ordered it today as I just finished The One by Kathy Freston, an easy read yet powerful.It changed my life!

  • choosing life
    choosing life

    James Thomas,

    Thanks for sharing that with us. I will look it up. I have been trying a little experiment when I find myself becoming irritated or just dismissive of others. I tell myself, Hey, that is me, meaning that we are not so separate as my mind tells me. I find this immediately stops the stories or judgements in my mind.

    I don't exactly know how to word this, but it brings me into the present and helps me be much less judgmental.

    Thanks again, Choosing Life

  • JamesThomas
    JamesThomas

    Purps:

    As I was driving home last night, the air felt like the beginnings of Fall, I know how that feels, when summer ends. the sounds, the smell, What nature begins to look like, getting ready for fall. I began to cry. Where had my summer gone?

    When there is no story of loss and remorse, what is here? In this instance it was the exquisite senses of a soon to arrive Autumn; along with the unspoken message from nature that as the seasons change, everything in our life changes too. This, is how it really IS, and to fight it, is insane. So, yes, appreciate what was; and even more important appreciate the present moment of what IS, for it will change as well. Less story, more reality, and life automatically becomes richer and more joyous. Whether we are with some one, or alone.

    Where had all my old lovers gone. Why was I alone?

    I would not trade anything for the loves I have had in my life. However fleeting they were true and honest, real, intense, deep, sharing. We all had come together at a time in our lives for whatever reason and shared, expericanced for me LOVE.

    I have found the most loving gesture was gracefully letting the experiance be over when it really was over and not hang on, lie to myself and say I hated this person, fool myself into thinking it was forever. So now I can carry the love that was expericanced and still feel it even now.

    Truly letting go, can be very sweet and refreshingly freeing; and generally all we are letting go of is a story in our mind that has nothing to do with the reality of the present moment anyway. So, we lose a little and gain a lot.

    I would like to say to everyone who is reading this, that what is critical is to make a conscious choice to be in the moment and silently and nonjudgmentally feel the aliveness and at the same time notice the mind chattering away as it interprets and weaves a story. I can not stress it enough how important it is to come to a clear recognition of the difference between thought and story, and actual Reality. This is a huge step in coming to awaken to our genuine unbroken wholeness.

    j

  • JamesThomas
    JamesThomas

    Choosing Life, yes, there are countless doors to enter the moment; and realization that what is looking back at you, is you, is one of them for sure. When this happens a silent awe and respect enters the picture that even the mind finds is wise to silently honor. We discover these portals very subtly sometimes, don't we.

    j

  • delilah
    delilah
    that what is critical is to make a conscious choice to be in the moment and silently and nonjudgmentally feel the aliveness and at the same time notice the mind chattering away as it interprets and weaves a story. I can not stress it enough how important it is to come to a clear recognition of the difference between thought and story, and actual Reality. This is a huge step in coming to awaken to our genuine unbroken wholeness.

    Thanx for this entire thread, James Thomas. You are incredible.

  • poppers
    poppers

    From choosing life: "I don't exactly know how to word this, but it brings me into the present and helps me be much less judgmental."

    No words can do it justice, but your simple one's carry a truthfulness within them. When fully present judgment vanishes, as does separation and fear. What is left is openness to what is, accepting and embracing everything unconditionally.

  • educ8self
    educ8self
    I would only add that our true Self, is Love itself, as it has no "other" to hate. It is the false "self" that feels itself a separate and broken entity, hungry, fearful, and in need, that blinds consciousness to the truth of its freedom, purity and wholeness. This is why thorough inner-investigation into self and being is so very, very important. We are, the peace that we seek right now. It just needs to be seen.

    Yes, it depends on which self - and which perspective you are coming from. When people come from the perspective of separation (more often than not) I guess I just go with that, even if there is some sense of the wholeness of the body of Love you might say, because to be really conscious of it would take a more sudden and direct perception than a vague sense of peace and harmony, which is simply how it registers as feelings in the human body. And I'm sure you appreciate that even after it is clearly seen there is a whole process of enveloping your way of being, which is very different from recognition here or there, though of course everyone's experience is different.

    Hmm, I am reminded of that Gandi quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I suppose you could also say "Be the world you wish to change and See"...

  • educ8self
    educ8self

    Thanks for sharing that with us. I will look it up. I have been trying a little experiment when I find myself becoming irritated or just dismissive of others. I tell myself, Hey, that is me, meaning that we are not so separate as my mind tells me. I find this immediately stops the stories or judgements in my mind.

    I don't exactly know how to word this, but it brings me into the present and helps me be much less judgmental.

    Remember it doesn't really matter if you have stories or a judgemental attitude, it's natural for the mind to do that. (not to mention you are not your mind anyway, but we won't get into that) You don't have to do anything, including doing something to make yourself stop doing other things deemed negative - which in the end is a whole lot of doing all around! You can just be yourself, and although there's no guarantees, people seem to lose interest in doing the stories and judgement bit as a result. I mean, why bother? There are plenty of other people doing it if you are ever interested in such things.

  • Madame Quixote
    Madame Quixote

    It is a paradox, isn't it?

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