I’m very lucky. My mother was all about unconditional love. She gave out bushels of it to me, my sibs, her grandkids, and many, many others. I don’t know its dictionary definition, but when my mother said she loved you she meant she saw you for who you are, and threw her arms around you and loved you no matter what.
Receiving this kind of love is such a gift. It gives you buoyant confidence in being who you are. It gives you a safe haven from the material world. It makes you feel you peaceful and balanced. It was shanti which means not only peace, but inner balance.
She went to a Christian church from which she distilled a simple philosophy: God is Love. Here’s a quote that expresses her view: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. John 3:16
This idea is also at the core of Vedic philosophy. In this case the supreme being (Bhagavan) is loving and all pervasive and dwells in everyone and every thing.
Sadly, I have not always been my mother’s best student. I admit to sometimes giving out puny love, not the bountiful no holds bar kind. Apologies. But I know how I’m supposed to love thanks to Mom, Jesus and the Vedas.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
