Let me tell you a story. An everyday story. An unconditional, unlimited story of the heart.
In a supermarket a woman bought flowers. A bunch of roses. Pink and lush and not at all expensive to the customer.
At the checkout her eyes met with those of the cashier. They smiled with an ease felt by both. The roses came through to be scanned and as they did the customer and cashier met eyes again and each said to the other, to the roses, to themselves and to the heart of the moment, each said how beautiful these roses are!
They chatted as easily as old friends, these two, of growing roses, the wonder of seeing shoots sprout from cuttings, flowers abundantly filling gardens grown from the tiniest of seed. The wonder of it. The joy of it.
These moments were beauty. This pink rose of heart holding the space of this timeless encounter as eyes shone with love of nature and connection within this moment. As plastic barriers, electronic scanners, different heritages, cultural histories, belief and opinion melted away, dissipated in the beauty of this moment.
February 14th in Western Christianity (July 6th in Orthodox Eastern Christianity) is attributed to St Valentine. Attributed to a man who was a priest and a healer. In the commercial culture our society has created, Valentine's Day focuses on romantic love. Yet, it seems that St Valentine was killed on February 14th CE 269. He was killed by those whose beliefs and opinions were different from his.
Today we witness too much of this. Too much.
This pink rose is an invitation for you, for all of us to relish its beauty. An invitation to settle into the folds of this pink beauty. Soft, exquisite and gently scented as it offers to lift the spirit.
Unfurl a mammalian heart and it resembles the unfurling folds of rose. (A web search will reveal this if you want to see.)
Today is an invitation to unfurl from the tight tension of any fear and dislike we may experience toward another. It is an invitation to feel into what love is.
As people, one to the other, we struggle with this. So let nature assist. Look into this pink rose, let it show you its beauty. Let nature heal our fractured, sad and fearful world with its unconditional heart as it opens each one of us to beauty.