Finding Love in the Every Day and in Calamity

How quickly life a can turn around.

Most days are like the day before. We can fall into a lackluster cookie cutter life that is predictable and tedious if we don't take hold of it and design it according to our passion and purpose. But then, every once in a while, something extraordinarily wanted or unimaginably unwanted crops up and takes us by surprise.

Something devastating happened last Tuesday.

A perfect storm of extreme wind that knocked down power lines and sparked fires ravaged a huge swath of Los Angeles, burning down thousands of homes. Families displaced. Jobs lost. Lives snuffed out. Chaos. Fear. Anger. Looting. The worst in people coming out. The skyline is changed and we're reminded that we are not in control.

But there is something else.

Something beautiful is rising from the ashes... love.

People are helping neighbors, housing friends, caring for family, getting people and animals to safety, volunteering, giving what they can. And we are, once again, reminded of what is most important. Loved ones, life, health.

I've been thinking about love a lot leading up to my Life Becomes Poetic Through Love Poetry Experience on February 8. Last week, I focused on self-love, which is so foundational and can be elusive unless we're intention. This past week, I have observed families pulling together, through extreme adversity, not all, but many with a strong couple leading the way. It made me mindful that me more grateful than ever for companionship and partnership through tough times like these.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Here's a poem I wrote which I think also conveys the power of love...

Soul Mate, Sweetest Love

You invite me to dive in the deep pool of your love

I hesitate, quite motionless; are you who I’ve dreamed of?

Then the whisper in my heart takes hold and resonates

I’ve found the one I’m searching for; my soul has found her mate

I wish all of us the connection and support of loving relationships every day and, especially, when we need them most.