Love...

There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy
Nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

There's nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy

All you need is love

(The Beatles/Lennon-McCartney,  1967)

When you slow down & look around, you notice signs all around you. Contemplating a move, I took a trip to do 'research': to explore and, get a feel for & gut check on, my targeted city. I was frustrated that I wasn't getting the neon sign, per se, of clarity & direction that I was seeking & wanted. I did, however, receive the signs I needed. Time and time again, 'love' appeared...in the most unexpected, obvious & subtle ways. 

We are wired to need the love & companionship of others...and actually flourish when received & experienced. That being said, that love does not, and cannot compare with the love of our Heavenly, Almighty Father. God is love - sweet all encompassing, redemptive love. In His gentle, oh so gentlemanly way, He reminded me throughout this trip of His love for me; that the city I was considering is a safe place for my heart & soul to receive healing, fertile ground to see dreams come to fruition, and that love could be experienced, received & walked out there. 

In addition to experiencing God's love, a new love started to take root. As a bud starts to bloom in the sweet spring sun, I felt self-love blossoming. The Bible instructs us in Matthew 22:39 that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In order to do that, however, you have to first love yourself. On an airplane, in the event of a drop in cabin pressure, we're instructed to first put the oxygen mask on ourselves before others. There is a reason for this - we cannot pour into others when our cup is void & empty...or when we are lacking oxygen.    

In the backdrop of love and writing this post, I feel as though I have come full circle. It has been a little over a year since my last post. Much has happened during the past 12 months. There has been discovery & revelation; loss & gain; death, rebirth & growth; sorrow, pain & heartache; blessing & releasing; change & familiarity; healing & forgiveness; and hope & joy renewed. A year ago, with my last post, a significant chapter of my life was coming to a close...and now with this one, a new chapter & journey are beginning. It is amazing how things & life can change in what feels like a blink of an eye, when in reality it is over the course of a couple months or a year. Enough with the past though; I am looking & moving forward! I am so over the moon hopeful & excited to see what 2020 - a year of new vision, clarity & direction - holds and for what will unfold in the months to come. Hint: my (theme) word for this year is 'MOVE.' I want to move forward on dreams & goals; get moving athletically; be proactive; continue to grow, mature & develop in my faith walk, as a leader, friend, etc.; and my physical address/location could even change as well. A lot is going on in my world...stay tuned. In the meantime, love yourself & others well because, at the end of the day, love is all we need.