For My Children - On Love

This past Valentine's weekend, I was trying to understand what love truly is.  I found such a huge gap between the needy, expectant love being sold to us on Valentine's day and the boundless, unconditional love that our souls seek within us.  I was also disturbed by my own past behaviors that played into the stereotypical gender roles  - even though I had thought that I was above all of that at the time.  In the end, though, I had to recognize that everything happened because it was necessary for my own evolution and forgive myself.

Here's what came out of it all at the end:

My Dear Son,

If you need to belittle others

To  make yourself grander,

You are not yet capable to love.

If you think that denying your tears

Makes you a brave man,

You are not yet man enough to love.

For you define yourself

Through what you do to others.

For nothing takes more courage

Than to face yourself.

My Dear Daughter,

If you need approval from others

In order to approve of yourself,

You are not yet ready to love.

If you believe that changing others

Will improve your own life,

You are not yet mature enough to love.

For you must love yourself

Before you can love others.

For nothing will change

Until you change yourself.

Yet, My Dear Children,

You cannot learn to love 

Through my words.

You came here to experience 

Love for yourselves.

So go out there and 

Get your hearts broken.

Don't let fear stop you 

From making "mistakes".

For only experience can help you 

Discover your true capacity to love.

For you must understand what isn't love

Before you can understand what love is.