"Love, not of me..."

"...Love, not of you,
Love, not of me...
Come hold us up,
come set us free.
Not as we know it,
but as it can be.
Love's reality..."

Since writing Monday's post, "There is no difference..." I have been mulling over the questions it  posed for me.  Not just about mother-love, but about love in general.  And Sara Groves' "Love," which I used to keynote another post, earlier this year, has been a helpful reminder...on a number of levels.

Are there different "kinds" of love?  Are there variables in love?  Can you have a "lesser" version of Love?  Can human affection, which has its source in divine Love, the only Cause and Creator of all that bears Its name, be diminished by who, where, or how it is expressed...i.e. can love that is expressed by an aunt, camp counselor, or neighbor, be less than the love that is expressed by a mother or father?

If the Source is the same, can its derivitive be compromised, adulterated, diluted, watered-down by "how" it is expressed, or by whom?

After reading Monday's post a friend shared this:

"I read your post today. I am hesitant to mention this but a very,very wise friend of mine has told me, on more than one occasion, that there are not different kinds of love."

Hmmm...I know this...I have worked with this Truth, spoken it, applied it to so many situations...trusting Its veracity with deep spiritual conviction.  I have experienced the healing impact of this Truth in my own life...on countless occasions.  So, why then have I struggled so mightily with this question when it comes to motherhood?  

I don't think there's a good reason...just more of the same old lie of "less than All, in all" and I got snookered into considering it as reasonable...again.  Sigh.

So, instead of starting with an unreasonable question, I'm going to start with what I know about Love.  I know that Love is God.  And I know that God has only one measure, portion, variable...All...nothing less.  Period.

Just like water is water...a drop, a cup, or a bathtub full.  Love is always, at its essence, Love.  Mother love, the love we feel for our friends, the love that moves us to live generously, to care for our global neighbors unselfishly...it's all just Love in action as love. 

Just as a drop of water can be a snowflake, a jet of steam, a refreshing beverage, ice to skate on, the breath of life to a fish, while never losing its essential purity, clarity, and integrity as H2O...water.  Likewise, love, is never less than all Love, only Love...completely Love.

So...is there a difference?  A variableness in quality or quantity?   No, I really don't think its even possible.   How could there be a lesser version of love, and still bear the name of Love?  For love to be love, it must be as infinitely All, as its Source.

But, I also believe that Love is capable of expressing itself in infinitely individual (a word that comes from the root: not divided) forms of usefulness and beauty...like water expressing itself as steam, ice, clouds, rain, lakes, baths...etc.    However unique and individual, each of these forms is, and must continue to be fully, wholly, completely true to the essential integrity and allness of Love's inherent nature...never less. 

with all love...

Kate