Show I A v valentine lentine from my heart to yours vours USUALLY you'll find humor wit and yes and yes sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm-in in this column to tobe tobe tobe be taken with its namesake namesake- a grain of salt But this week I offer from my heart to yours a valentine Valentines should be an expression of love But what is love that we might express express express ex ex- ex- ex press it That's like asking what what-is is God Twelve step programs encourage encourage encourage en en- courage people to get in touch with their Higher Power For some that means God For others it means something else I like that idea Allowing each one to determine what his Higher Power is for himself Beyond human perceptions perceptions perceptions it seems to me that whether atheist or stern Calvin Calvinist Calvinist Cal Cal- vin the way ones one's Higher Power most helps is through love felt feIt and express expressed d. d The Bible says God is Love My own Higher Power is is' Love And for me Love is more than a quality of God It is God Love God the God the Source of all love What we ass as as human beings observe which is kind or generous or caring these caring these are qualities of Love God expressed in the human humankind humankind humankind kind the human scene But what constitutes kindness What is caring generosity tenderness gentleness One man says that he disciplines disciplines dis dis- dis- dis his child because he cares The Bible says If ye endure chastening God with you as sons and II Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity Then it seems to me that loving what is good and right includes learning to hate what is wrong to hate whatever opposes opposes opposes op op- poses Good another word I regard as a synonym for God What is it that opposes Good Love Isn't it characteristics in ourselves and others Certain W M traits that we express like express like serving self-serving self-centered- self ness inconsiderate inconsiderate- thoughtlessness thoughtlessness thoughtlessness thought thought- unkindness cruelty cruelty cruelty cruel cruel- ty indifference hatred unfairness unfairness are are a few traits antithetical to Love And a mistaken sense sens of what is good is probably more harmful than any other any other thing thin Shattered drea dreams s disappointed disappointed disappointed pointed hopes worldly unfairness unfairness un un- 41 r r fairness and injustice accumulate accumulate accumulate ac ac- ac- ac cumulate showing themselves ves in hardened exteriors and eventually in hardened harden d hearts Indulging selfishness perpetuates selfishness increases increases increases in in- creases it until just as an ugly weed takes over the garden garden gar gar- den selfishness takes over a aman's amans mans man's heart and living Like light swallowed in a ablack ablack ablack black hole the bleakness of living without ones one's Higher Power produces despair and hopelessness It can show up in ruthless gruffness where gentleness would encourage encourage encourage en en- courage and heal in harsh discipline and humiliating ridicule where tender patience would light a new candle revealing candle revealing a possible possible possible pos pos- sible path before unseen in self-indulgent self permissiveness permissiveness permissiveness where disciplined order would help stabilize a family a community and a world and nd in self-centered self zealous over serving self-serving ness where unselfish ambition ambition ambition ambi ambi- tion would bless another and therefore in some measure all mankind I am convinced that God is and without God Love it is impossible for h humans mans to overcome the temptations temptations temptations and pressures of human living liying that would defeat them Love is caring for another i it is feeling for and sensitivity to another's needs And as in all things it is better to give than to receive Love is wanting striving for what will truly bless not just lust in the short term experience but in the thelong thelong thelong long run Tender affection a kiss a hug hug- these hug these can be expressions expressions expressions of love So can romance and tender lovemaking lovemaking lovemaking love- love making between a couple in that inexplicable state called being in love Consider a mothers mother's love for her child What can stop it Can distance space or time Can disappointment disappoint disappoint- ment in her child While a mother can dislike what her child does could a true mother ever cease to love her offspring For me unstained unstained unstained un un- un- un stained untainted mother- mother love suggests the purest form of love And for me God ris is not Mother not human not a spirit person person but but the theone theone theone one Source of all Anywhere everywhere filling all space God is the Love that just loves goes loves goes forth to all as the sunlight just shines never requiring a certain object object object ob ob- ob- ob to shine upon Whether your own Higher Power is God whether God whether you are an atheist Christian Hindu Muslim or Jew whether you are affiliated with any certain religion or faith or none none none-my my valentine wish for you today is that you feel the touch of love expressed expressed expressed ex ex- pressed uniquely adapted to the way you need it most at this moment t ay ro I. 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