About Love – A Writing Collection on Love
About Love . . . I wrote this series on love in 2012, each paired with a companion poem, and posted on
Facebook as a reflection on love for each day in February leading up to Valentine's Day . . . I thought it would be ever so lovely to gather them together in a single collection.
Although you can read them all in one sitting, they were conceived for one to reflect on a single aspect of love during the days February 1 – 14 . . . but any day of the year is a good time to reflect on any and all things 'love'.
I hope that you enjoy this 'recycled' reflection on love and the incredible crystal hearts that appear with them.
They are real jewelry pieces woven by hand in a most magical way. A darling Italian woman, Loredana Di Cecco, creates these jewels using an ancient Japanese technique . . . and she generates this beauty sitting at a simple kitchen table located at the top of the world in Alaska. It is a small world, is it not?
Peace & love,
Trees
P.S. you will find the companion poems and poemettes in those sections here at theresegramercy.com.
February 1
About Love . . . love has two memories and they take the form of two lists. One list is every sweet or kind or helpful or unselfish or beautiful action and word you have ever spoken to that love. The other list is quite the opposite . . . all of the things you can imagine that may have caused hurt or pain. Love is fully aware of these
two lists, but the memories that love dwells upon are all on the first list.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Thank You
February 2
About Love . . . "Life is not a game and people are not chess pieces, my friends." – T. Gramercy
One boyfriend/girlfriend/partner is not interchangeable for another. No one can replace a past love, and no one should be used as a "placeholder" until we find "the right one", the one who makes our soul sing. We are unique, as is the love that comes with each union.
Today, as you go about your day, reflect for just the flash of a second on each person that you meet or who merely travels by you in their cars or on the elevator or in the grocery store line . . . each represents an unrepeatable vessel of love . . . and you will find that you cannot be anything else but filled with awe as you start to comprehend the vast expanse of love that they represent on this earth.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poemette entitled Waves
February 3
About Love . . . it is often said that the eyes are the window to the soul . . . and I do believe it is true . . . for we have all witnessed it. Smiles and frowns, and even another's words do not necessarily match what we see in their eyes, and we instinctively know to trust what their eyes tell us. Sometimes people "mask" their eyes by looking away or casting their eyes down, for they know that if they look directly into your eyes that you will see what is in their soul.
Of all the things that can be seen in another's eyes, there is nothing that compares to the joy that is felt when what you see in those eyes is a mirror of the love that they evoke in your soul.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Glitter
February 4
About love . . . I do believe the story of love's future is encapsulated in its silences . . . for not all silences are the same, and they carry with them the destinies of the hearts involved. By one's self or with a partner, silence should evoke a sense of peace, a means to settle the mind so that we can feel our heart's longings and listen to the wisdom in our soul. In the presence of another, the ability to share silence signifies the comfort of the souls in tandem, wherein they are at peace, at pace with each other with no need to "fill" the silence, for it is already filled with tranquility and love.
Not all silences are centered in peace. Silence can also signal withdrawal, the disengaging of a heart that is drifting away. Such silences can be filled with anger or sadness or discontent or a mixture that is as far from peace as a heart can be. Silences that go on day after day with very little communication are in this category.
If such silences are left unattended, the path is clear . . . the silence will grow deeper and deeper . . . and even if these partners remain together in the same household, their hearts will part. If we are to be "real", then we must have the courage to enter into such silences in a gentle way and find out what is happening in our partner's heart. Such hearts may still part, but they will do so together, with understanding and love, and they will be at peace. Silence . . . in it is the story of love.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Silence
February 5
About love . . . when I woke up from emergency surgery (in November of 2008), I had a renewed purpose in life . . . having hidden my heart for more than fifteen years, I knew that it was time to love again. When I developed the website at theresegramercy.com, I dedicated it to that purpose. By writing openly about my feelings of love and loss, by sharing the words and feelings that others might have too but are afraid to expose, my wish is that this in some small way helps those who are seeking love to be able to understand one another more fully.
These writings the two weeks ending on Valentine's Day hold the same purpose . . . for men and women to reflect upon my words with the hope that there is some jewel hidden there that helps them to have (give and receive) more love in their lives . . . whether they are seeking to enter a relationship, or they are in a relationship that has faded or is not as fulfilling as it could be . . . and even those who are still hiding from love. May you find the love of your heart's longing.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled To Love Again
February 6
About love . . . "no one likes to be strung along, except perhaps pearls and rosary beads." – T. Gramercy
Where does the distrust between men and women begin? I believe it is in this very situation, that of being strung along. In such exchanges, one already knows that their heart is not open, while the other heart is actively trying to engage theirs. Various actions and lack of action are used to continue the stringing, and with each comes a fissure that leads to the destruction of trust. Eventually, the one being strung along will figure it out and move
on . . . but they are going to be mistrustful of the next heart that comes along, and maybe the next one . . . and in this way the ripple effect will continue, decreasing in intensity until the waters are calm enough that trust can again be shared.
But both hearts in this 'stringing' have been damaged, for the other heart has been harmed just as deeply, perhaps even more so, for they have had to harden their heart in order to string another along. Through such actions, they create a world for themselves with less and less intimacy, less depth of spirit, and less love. My dear readers, I sigh deeply just thinking about the waste of these beautiful hearts.
So . . . "what would love do" in such a situation, when one is sure that they have no serious feelings for the other? Love would gently tell them so, allowing both hearts to continue on in the search for the ones meant to share the most precious things they have, their hearts.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poemette entitled Star Tips
February 7
About love . . . there is a beautiful full moon shining this morning, just like the one that spoke to me so many months ago and inspired the poem The Moon . . . and this morning, it is speaking to me again, and it is asking me to tell you the story of the love of the moon and the stars.
As part of our earthly journey, we all look for "the one" who will be the sun in our lives, and nothing is greater than the moment when we come into that joy. But while we are on the journey to the sun, it is the moon and the stars that are our companions. The reflection of the moon upon the sea may not have the same intensity as that of the sun, but who has not thought that moonlight sparkling on the ocean or a lake is not one of the most beautiful things they have ever seen? And the stars, so incredible that we write songs and poems about their twinkling and we wish upon them . . . we wish upon them for all of the hopes and dreams in our lives . . . including love.
The cycle of the moon and stars fading each night as the sun rises each day, then reappearing as the sun sets is an important story of balance in our lives, the balance of love. The moon and the stars represent those who share the journey with us on this earth, whose love should not be forgotten even when we find the sun, for it is the balance of both worlds that helps us "to stay in the love" surrounded with love's light each day . . . with the sun . . . and the moon . . . and the stars.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled The Moon
February 8
About love . . . love is like all positive energies, it grows upward in a spiral, and as it is lost, it slowly fades downward through the spiral as well. As we maintain a positive focus in our lives, we will begin to feel our transit along the spiral . . .
. . . and in that gentle upward journey we feel . . . a general feeling of contentment, happiness with the littlest things, a deeper appreciation of nature and our blue ocean planet, an awareness of peace with our past, an underlying feeling of connectedness with everything in the Universe, a knowing that love and its bonds with those we love transcend the passing away of our bodies, a gentle letting go of those who must take other paths on their earthly journeys as simply a part of life, acceptance of our chosen vocations on this planet and that all are one and the same with none more important than another, and compassion for all who struggle along with us upon this earth.
With each of these experiences, these learned lessons, we spiral higher and higher into the bliss of love . . . where we can see that there is no end to love, no upper limit, and that love continues to spiral upward . . . evermore.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Evermore
February 9
About Love . . . I love math, and I discovered that it even applies to love, but it does not follow the regular rules . . . when it comes to love, the rules act a little differently . . .
.5 + .5 = zero (not 1) . . . and . . . 1 + 1 = 1 (not 2)
. . . you may already understand this love math … for its mysteries are easily unraveled . . .
.5 + .5 = zero (not 1) . . . when two people become partners, we say they become "one" but it doesn't always last, and that is when we must take a closer look at the souls who were paired. Before you can become "one" with another, you must become a whole person on your own, and be at peace within yourself as complete just as you are. If souls who are not yet whole try to partner, they will find too many difficulties to remain together, and they will part, resulting in two halves becoming zero . . . for another can never complete you, you must come into completeness through your journey to know yourself.
If love math has not worked for you in the past, do not fret . . . just take a deep breath, settle your mind, and start on the journey to becoming whole within your own spirit, as that action leads the way to the second equation, and to everlasting love.
1 + 1 = 1 (not 2) . . . when souls who have completed their internal work to become whole join together, that is when the love magic occurs, when 1+1 = 1, when two are able to become one. Since both souls are whole, these are the relationships that last through the tests of time, the elderly couples who are still in love, still hold hands and still see the beauty of love in each other's eyes.
It is also true that slower is faster . . . but that is physics . . . and a topic for another day . . .
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled If Ever
February 10
About love . . . sometimes we are our own worst enemy . . . if we do not believe in ourselves, we may not be able to see that the dreams and the love that we've longed for may be right there in front of our eyes. Look in the mirror sometime, and whomever you see there? That is you, a person just like any other on this planet, one worthy of love . . . you can see it in your own eyes.
It is in everyone's eyes, for love is all there is, we just need a reminder to see it. Love is there, and the more you think about it being right there inside of you, the more that you will know that it is true. When we truly believe we deserve to be loved, more and more love will be drawn to us . . . it is Universal Law.
Believe in yourselves, it is the gateway to love.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Heaven's Gate
February 11
About Love . . . the hand-woven jewel of the 'world' pictured here captivates my soul . . . encased within it is a crystal heart. There are many things that we can live without in life, but not our hearts.
The gift of a heart signifies the giving of one's heart, one's self, to another . . . in a way, telling them that they are your world, for you have given them your heart . . . your life . . . and what more can one give?
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Gift
February 12
About Love . . . a blue heart . . . such stirring emotions surround its contemplation. . . a heart that is blue longs to be near the one it loves . . . Le Cœur de la Mer, the Heart of the Ocean, the unforgettable blue diamond necklace in the movie Titanic . . . where we learned that the memory of a great love was more valuable than one of the most incredible diamonds in the world . . . as is true of the heart of one whom we call 'true blue'. . .
Such peaceful, loving thoughts this notion of the blue heart evokes, at least in this heart . . . . I smile and slowly breathe out air that must surely be blue, for it is filled with love . . . hmmm . . . upon reflection . . . perhaps a blue heart, instead of the familiar red, should be the symbol of Valentine's Day . . . at least in cases of true love . . .
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Butterfly Wings
February 13
About Love . . . dreams hold the key to who we are, why we are on this earth, and who is the one we are to love . . . for we already know them in our hearts, and that is why when we finally meet them that our hearts "skip" a
beat . . . time stands still during that one beat while we realize that our dream of love has become real.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Above
February 14
About Love . . . even the trees dream of love . . . they stand tall and watch it play out all around them, and in the nests they hold within their arms . . . of song birds, and the blue birds of happiness, the doves of peace, and the tree sparrows and the birds of love that bond together for life . . . trees all around the world inhale our spent air and breath out their pure love for us to breathe day after day . . . a love that is spread around our blue ocean planet from the top, down the sides, and below . . . it is everywhere, and through inhaling that love-filled air, it has become part of you, and of your heart. Can you feel it?
Happy Valentine's Day, may you keep the love of this day in your heart every day of the year, and find its renewal in every breath that you take.
Peace & love,
Trees
Suggested companion reading, the poem entitled Trees Dream
Thank You
About love . . . love is all there is, and all there was ever meant to be . . . and my wish for you is that you feel it too.
Once again, I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day, a day dedicated to love.
Peace & love,
Trees