Singer songwriters are my heroes. They take thought and inspiration and turn them into magic moments. As a writer and poet, I am fascinated with the process they go through, but have not yet immersed myself in the songwriting genre…maybe someday. One of my favorite musical magicians is Asheville, North Carolina based David Wilcox. I discovered his songs via my hometown University of Pennsylvania member supported radio station WXPN 88.5 fm (streamed on www.xpn.org) On my way home from the gym last night, I was listening to his song called “Native Tongue”. He says that it is about the idea that (according to ecstatic poet Rumi)”What you seek is seeking you.”  The line “Where you look is where love finds you.” jumped out at me and played peek-a-boo with my heart. I could actually feel it leap in my chest and a smile of contentment spread over my otherwise weary-from -a- long -day, face. It occurred to me that we often spend so much time ‘looking for love in all the wrong places’ that we sometimes can’t see it when it is waving its metaphorical arms in the air, jumping up and down, clamoring for our attention, calling out “Here I am….”  What’s more important than that, I wonder?

So where was I looking yesterday? I was looking at the literal and metaphorical road in front of me as I made my way to a job that calls on every bit of insight, strength, resilience, creativity, spontaneity, wisdom, experience, book knowledge and faith I possess, working with folks with mental health diagnoses. Each day I pray that I have what it takes to hold this sacred trust. Each day, Spirit helps me deliver. Whew!

When I got there, I was looking at witholding judgement when there was resistance to ‘my ideas’ of how my day should go, when I had a schedule to keep and things kept filling up the space when I thought I had checked stuff off my to-do list. And yet….somehow I managed to get home in time to keep a phone appointment, write an article, do promo work and get to the gym for my ‘playout’.  Love was in all those places, faces and experiences.

Love was also in the prayers offered for the son of a friend who is in the ICU, for my brother in-law who is also hospitalized and my sister and her kids going along on the ride with him, for my son to find his way in the world and a career in which he can use his talents for cooking and caring and support himself,  for friends with challenging health diagnoses, for friends who have recently experienced the death of loved ones, friends who are in daunting financial circumstances ….all of these folks could use a miracle…or ten.

Love is in the desire to create a partnership in a mutually supportive relationship as I have witnessed modeled by my parents and others who I consider ‘spiritual power couples’, whose union serves the world as well as each other.

Love is in each word that comes forth in my writing, scattered like faerie dust and wonder for anyone willing to scoop up and share.

Where are you looking?  Where has love found you?

http://youtu.be/MvJQQNs-YWs by David Wilcox