LOVE

Light rain, humid, beautiful river, grape arbor, train whistle. Far from my temporary home. Far from my birth home…

I walk the dog. I don’t like being a dog owner. But I love this little dog.

A professor friend is planning on teaching a course on Love.

What on earth is it?

Who am I? What am I doing here?

Doestoyevsky’s Underground Man defined man as a creature who walks on two feet and is ungrateful.

I am ungrateful if I do not love for, though unworthy, I am loved.

But, again, what is love? A very important question. At least I think I know what ingratitude is. I have been taught, and do believe, that God is love. Actually, if you believe that, then God is Everything, and most worthy of all our love.

Meanwhile…

I know that this is a lovely summer’s day. A day in which one should love and avoid all false things and come to know true versus false love. (It is a day later than the humid, less lovely day on which I began this unlovely ramble.But I loved that day, too. One should love every day. When there are no more days, there can be no more love.)

As I said, I love that little dog whether I’d meant to or not. After all, she’s a lot of bother. Love is a lot of bother. It can make one unhappy, which is to be ungrateful. Therefore, today, I am ungrateful.

On this day, let me gratefully expand love — from dog to all the rest in need of it. (Not something I’m readily inclined to do.) But – expand I must.

My love, that is. (Avoid all what is merely sentiment and sentimentality. What’s that mean? Well, that’s for another day.)

Meanwhile…

Have a lovely and loving day.