A Life Long Occupation ...

For one human being to love another, that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof. The work for which all other work is but preparation. - Rainer Maria Rilke '...Have you ever given thought to how relationship gets messy? How is it we find love, partnership, friendship, companionship and maybe even our soul mate, and the next thing we know, the relationship takes a turn and you never speak to one another again-or at least not in kind and mutually respectful ways? Love is an interesting quest, to say the least. There are experiences where it seems to have power over our motives, interests, attractions, appetites, decisions, time, money, and dreams. We may be tempted to sell everything we own, give away our identity, demand someone else's, and over invest in the potential of another-and for what? A longing to be and share love? We do this with friends, in families, at church, in school, at work, on sports teams, and in other organizations to which we find ourselves attracted. We use the words, "I love you," to mean everything from a term of endearment to a covenant, commitment or even just a cliché . So what happens when our feelings change or someone else's feelings towards us shift? How do we manage our truth and our hearts in respectful and loving ways? Why is "I'm sorry" or "Please forgive me" so hard to offer? Why is introspection the last thing we think of when relationships do not go the way we had planned or hoped they would? What does it mean to love ourselves, our neighbor and God with truth and honesty as Jesus invites us to do? Maybe the bigger question is "Why do we not understand that all failed relationships and disappointments are opportunities for us to assess our part in what did not work and dedicate ourselves to that which we quite possibly fear the most and yet long for in the depths of our beings?" This weekend we will dance in the streets, walk proud together, celebrate who we are and proclaim our contributions to the human race as we celebrate Gay Pride. I want to invite you to take one more step and survey your life. Is there someone who has hurt you, disappointed you, caused you great pain or harmed you in some way? Write her/his name(s) on a piece of paper and ask God to help you find peace in this relationship/s. It may be a quick healing or it may take you a lifetime to forgive yourself and/or others for the hurt you have in your mind and heart. No matter how long it does take, I can tell you that being angry at others does not hurt them nearly as much as it hurts you. Let it go. Let love in like water seeking its own level. And, as we are invited in the story of Jesus calming the wind and the waters, breathe in this prayer: Peace. Be still in my soul and let me be open in places of my longing to be loved as I offer my love...(.)' ~P.E. Hunt