The Beatles were right….

All you need is love. All we need is love. It seems too simple, right? However, what I’ve found in the past year, as I consciously let go of guilt I feel over living in a country of abundance (though not for all), and that I’ve always had enough: enough food, shelter, friends, family — as I let go of the guilt, and instead express gratitude for the blessings in my life — I have more to give. I am more effective when I come from love instead of guilt. I’ve learned I’m not the only one who feels responsible for saving the entire planet. I’m not effective unless I start with loving myself first. Like they say, it all begins within.
I wrote a “turning everything over to the universe” (or tuning into the universe) prayer several years ago. I say a prayer for each chakra. The heart chakra prayer is “I am willing to love everyone right where they are, starting with myself.”
All we need is love, right? Imagine my surprise when I purchased the book “End Sex Trafficking: Let’s Be Impossible to Ignore” (edited by Erin Giles; published by EMG Studios in 2012) and find that it’s more about love than it is about sex trafficking.  After I bought the book, I was a bit afraid to open it (because this topic is truly frightening), so it sat around, being moved from place to place for several weeks. Finally, I bring the book to bed with me one evening, and open it to read the table of contents. Then I turn the very next page and this is what I see:
Wow. So far I’ve read 13 of the 61 essays (each 1-4 pages by various authors). Only two have mentioned sex trafficking. All of them are ponderings, essays about, and/or celebrating LOVE. Everyone is talking about what I’ve been learning over the past year: We love everything. We love everyone. From that love we know what to do.  With love, we can do anything.  Breathing in love, I am grateful.  Breathing out love, I give thanks (adapted from Thich Nhat Hanh).   If you want to be inspired to love more fully, and read lovely essays that fill your heart, I highly recommend this book.