Choose Love
Choose Love - Originally Posted December 15, 2015
Because we always have a choice, we can always choose LOVE. Deepak Chopra
This past month I’ve had a lot on my mind and my heart, as most people have, with the many acts of violence and negative attitudes in our country and abroad. Some days it seems like all we hear about in the world. For every act of violence we hear about, I think, there are many acts of love and kindness, being done is small quiet ways. Lets change that – lets talk more about these acts of love! As I was thinking about this blog post that is what was running through my mind. And all of a sudden it felt like good was popping up everywhere I looked. Its funny how that happens, what we focus on is what we experience.
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Edith Wharton
As I have been working in my studio these stories of love, compassion, and good were coming through in my paintings…like the one featured with this post – Choose Love. Today I am going to share briefly three of the great acts of love I came across; I’ll include links so if they sound interesting to you you can read more about them.
The first one that really moved me was a Facebook project that I was invited to join. Before Thanksgiving my niece and her friend began organizing Care Package Project 2015 on Facebook. The project surfaced because my niece who works in downtown Seattle passes homeless people every day. She felt like doing something to help them. The surprising thin is she is a young 20 something with a big heart, but like many people her age she is living paycheck to paycheck not with surplus, but she wanted to do something and help these people so she did! As of today she and her friends have put together 151 care packages that they will deliver to homeless people in downtown Seattle on Christmas, and her wonderful roommate who is a barber by trade is going along and offering free haircuts to the same people. How great is that!?! You don’t need to be wealthy to make a difference, you just have to do something – I know the recipients will definitely feel the love on Christmas day!https://www.facebook.com/events/120885458276607/
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Mother Teresa
The next act of love is unique and unexpected. In our country Black Friday is pretty out of control, businesses seem to view it as the only day people are going to really shop. However there is this little artsy store in Virginia that I love to visit called Quirks of Art. I subscribe to their blog and follow them on Facebook. When their blog popped into my email I was so surprised by the content. Instead of Black Friday sales – they closed their doors for the day. They called it Sparkle Friday and not only didn’t they focus on making money, but they used the day to go about town spreading love. They made donations at nursing homes, they delivered cupcakes and pizzas and flowers to folks like firemen on duty. Making the day sparkle. Its really a great story and I was so happy to come across it at Thanksgiving. People choosing to make a difference – they spread love all over town! Check out their story – http://www.kinksandquirks.com https://www.facebook.com/events/420053468190126/
Love is energy…Pass it forward! It starts with us! Unknown
The last story is different from the first two, but I think the fact that each of these stories is so different is another affirmation of how many wonderful things are happening right here in our neighborhoods – people all have different motivations to spread love. Love Rocks is organized in Oregon. With the passing of their two beautiful daughters, in the blink of an eye, this couple chose to spread love in their memory. The message is spread love one rock at a time. I can say that I have no doubt of the impact these two young girls’s lives are having on so many people as love is spread in their memory through the giving of Love Rocks. The website and Facebook page make it really easy to get involved if you choose, there are even resources to print out and use – anybody can do this one. The idea is to leave a Love Rock to be found as a surprise for someone who needs a little love, or for someone who gives a lot of love to others, or give it to someone special that you love. These rocks are now being found all over the planet – thats a lot of love! I can’t wait to make some, I already gathered my supplies. Here is their website and FB link. http://love-drenched-life.com/love-rocks/ https://www.facebook.com/lovedrenched/?fref=ts
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Martin Luther King Jr.
Each of these three activities is pretty simple, but each one took people deciding to make a difference – wanting to spread light and love in the world – and actually acting on that desire. We can all choose to spread love, even if just in our daily activities; or we can choose to work through a special event like the ones I mentioned. The point is love is so powerful we can make a difference just being kind – making sure our thoughts and actions come from a place of love. Think of that old story where the man is berated and yelled at at work and he feels awful, he goes home and gets angry with his wife, then she gets frustrated with their child, then the kid gets angry and kicks the dog, the dog nips at the cat….that negative energy just keeps going. We have a choice to do the same thing with the energy of love and start a chain of love spreading out to all we interact with and then exponentially we will make a powerful difference. Right now we need more love in this world, we all need to head out and DO SOMETHING, help turn things around. Love is powerful. I’m motivated, how about you?
If you think you are too small to make a difference try sleeping with a mosquito. Dalai Lama
Several new paintings in my gallery today, please take a minute to check them out: Choose Love, Compassion of Kwan Yin, Love is All Around, Love and Tenderness, and Good Fortune.
Light, Love, Laughter,
Shannon
