Lasting Love

When we hear the term lasting love, we are most likely to think of a couple, together forever in lasting love. But today as I contemplate lasting love, it is really so much more than the love between two people. I was browsing the poetry section at a local bookstore today, shopping for just the right book of poems for a book exchange with my writing group. Though I didn't purchase it for the exchange, I found myself looking through a Wendell Berry book. I really loved this short little poem about love, and I snapped a photo so I wouldn't forget about it. I read it over and over on my way home (my husband was driving), trying to figure out why I liked it so much. Sometimes poetry just speaks to you and other times you can find some deeper connection as you spend more time with it. But I think this one struck me today of all days for a reason. 

My interpretation of the poem is that when people learn to love one another, they leave their mark on the world by spreading love. In a sense, if you learn to love beyond yourself, you leave love wherever you go. Your love has lasting effect on the world because it spreads- like bacteria but good!

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and all over social media and TV you can see or hear Dr. King's words about education, equal rights, you name it. But an underlying theme in so much of what he said and believed is love. Love for one another, for everyone. It seems so simple. So many of the world's problems, then and now, could be solved by love. It seems so easy. Just open your heart and love. As MLK said:

MLK is the epitome of lasting love. Long after his life, the love he spread is still catching on. Sometimes it feels hopeless, like there's more hate in the world now than there was then. But I'm not sure that's true. I know we have a lot of work to do as a human species, as cohabitants of the planet. The world is getting bigger and our eyes are opening to so much more. We just have to remember, the more hatred that surfaces the more important it is for us to respond with love. The love is forcing people out of hiding, bringing the bubbly hatred to the surface. Hating the hate is giving in and we must not. Dr. King knew this...

James Taylor wrote and performed a beautiful song back in the 90's. It's often played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day because the lyrics invite us to turn our thoughts to MLK "and recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women, living on the earth- ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood." If you know me, you know little can outdo a great song by JT. But there's something really special about this collaboration between two a capella groups, The Maccabeats and Naturally 7. James Taylor has lovingly and publicly promoted it. I think Dr. King would be proud as well.