To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven. – Karen Sunde
This might not be the thing for everyone, but I love sailing. This is a big sailing ship, and that’s even better. The smell of canvas and sea-spray, it’s almost heaven…
What does that mean?
I find this to be a very interesting quote. It doesn’t (by itself) state that it is specifically about romantic love, although it isn’t difficult to come to that conclusion.
Yet I firmly believe that it can be applied to other forms of love. Love of Country, love of Freedom, and love of Justice are but a few forms of love which I believe fit this quote admirably.
I also noted that every reference I found of this quote had the lower-case heaven. Not a religious Heaven, but a generic great place to be. But just a glimpse, as we are still human. Our lives are flawed, and grace is temporary.
But just a glimpse is enough. It keeps us motivated. It keeps us energized. It keeps us trying again and again. It keeps us pursuing an ever deeper, ever stronger love. So that we might get another glimpse.
Why is love important?
Again, while the quote may well be about romantic love, I believe we can apply it to many other kinds of love. I believe it shows up through our friends, our family, and in our spirit. We all love different things, but we are united in the powerful feelings which spring from that love.
Love, romantic and platonic, for people or ideals, they are the things which get us up early, keep us up late, and get us to put in that extra effort. It helps us get the job done, whether the job is in the back yard or the place we collect our paycheck.
Do some people love their job? Yes. But most of us trade our hours for the money we need to pursue our true love, our passions. Whether it’s providing for a family or saving for a special trip, we all love something, and will do practically anything to get it to happen. Why? So we can get that glimpse of heaven. Why else would we to it?
Where can I apply this in my life?
I believe this quote would apply it to any aspect of your life where love comes into play. Do you love to travel? Why? For me, it’s the thrill of discovery, the new things to see and do. For someone as easily bored as I, such a rush of stimuli is a glimpse of heaven.
Do you love watching, or even participating in sports? Why? For me, it’s the thrill of the contest. It’s the challenge of pulling together as a team. It’s a chance to relive my youth and bring back some of the thrill of participating. And that is a little glimpse of heaven.
What about you? What to you love to do? Do you love gardening or tending to bushes and flowers? Do you love golf or driving sports? Perhaps motorcycle racing is more what you love to do, or do you prefer to ride your motorcycle on the open road?
Grab some paper and write a few of the things you love to do down. Write down what you love, and a brief note about the reason or reasons why. Take a few moments and give it some thought, especially the reasons why. The reason why you love it is what is truly important.
Take a look at what you wrote down, the things you love. Is there a pattern? Is there a theme to your list? Are they mostly individual sports? Mostly team sports? Mostly related to outdoor activities? Mostly related to taking care of plants or animals? Are they mostly about participation or mostly about observation? Or was there no pattern at all?
What does the list look like when you look at the reasons why you love those things? Is there a pattern there? My list showed mostly the emotions which come from the activities or which well up when thinking about the concepts and what they mean to me.
What have you learned about yourself in this exercise of introspection? What else came to mind as you thought about these things? Did old memories come back? Did you remember other things which brought forth similar feelings? How did you feel as some of these thoughts came to you? Take a moment to savor those feelings.
Now that we’ve done some examining within our lives, the question becomes what will you do with this knowledge? Did you ever have a feeling something was missing from your life? Do any of these things seem to fit the bill? Might you be doing a little something else this week, or over the weekend?
Have you found something you wish to do more often, or to become more skilled at doing? How would you do that? What would it cost, in time, effort, and money? What else might you have to give up for this little glimpse of heaven? Is it worth the price?
Lots of questions, and lots for you to consider. What do you love, and why? Ready? Go!
From: Twitter, @Quotes_on_Love
confirmed at : http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1890.html
Photo by Sami Keinänen
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