Love from the inside out

Spring arrived on the calendar in Indiana a few days ago, but just this morning the dogwoods realized it. Huge, white blossoms--erupting with such joy you can almost hear them--buoyed me to work this morning. I found myself thinking about joy and beauty and blossoming, and realized that it's all love, opening naturally as part of the miraculous process of life, growing, growing, growing, and sharing--ultimately fulfilling the purpose of adding to the Alleluia! of life.

The dogwoods are definitely singing this morning.

I thought, too, of how hard we work at love, perhaps at first fighting it; then allowing it; then abandoning ourselves to it (alleluia!)...and then, for many, challenges, hurts, perhaps a feeling of loss, betrayal, disappointment...

The dogwoods could not/would not have blossomed earlier this week, on the day spring arrived by calendar. You could have stood beside them yelling "Wake up! You're supposed to be blooming now!" but it wouldn't have made any difference. They don't know about calendars and expectations. They don't respond to judgment--as far as I know--for when and how and where they blossom. When it's just time, perhaps they feel it with a delicious sense of readiness, increasing joy, and then...blossoming alleluia!

Love for us bipeds might be easier if we let the natural course of life and love flow within her own banks (which are in reality limitless). If we just for a moment relax our tendency to grab and make and push and evaluate; if we could simply take a deep and filling breath and receive, opening our eyes and minds and hearts; trust, joy, and celebration would be our natural blossoming, our Alleluia!.

I'm just going to let myself blossom naturally today, in whatever timing love and life presents. How about you?