When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you, yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you, believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you, so shall he crucify you.
Even as he is for your growth, so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
-KAHLIL GIBRAN on LOVE-
Love has been staring me in the face in the past week. I mean really staring, in fact, nagging me to listen to its stories and instructing me to do what it says. So, I paid attention and I submit to Love..
It tells me to post “Love is in the air”, on my facebook wall. At that time, I was at the Toyota Service Centre and decided to sit through the 3-hour waiting time at the lounge, while completing my research and preparation for my “Love 7 Relationship” program on 31 Oct 10.
It tells me to watch a program screened on TV3 at the time. So I did, while waiting. It tells how society conditions love. It tells how a couple decides to elope because the parents could not accept the daughter's choice. They have their own 'perfect' choice for the daughter, of course, the one who possesses a big car, a big house, big money, big title. Just zero on love.
I didnt watch the program till the end as I find it to be so cliche'd. I get that the parents want what's best for the daughter, but money can't buy love and that life without love is meaningless. I can't help but tremble with gratitude that I got to make my own choice when it comes to selecting my life partner. Or at least, He chose for me. So, I have no choice but to make it work! Love shall prevail and triumph!
As I was mentally rehearsing my introduction to the Love & Relationship program, pitching on how love makes you weightless, moved you to swim thousand seas, climb steep mountains, etcetera, Love reminded me of an Anita Sarawak song...”Lautan luas ku renangi”. So I googled the song, 'Bisikan Cinta' and was so moved by the melody and lyrics, my eyes started tearing. Love was overwhelming. It insists on prevailing and triumphing.
Love was expressive, that it made me posted the lyrics on my facebook wall, yet again. It also made me realised how much I miss my husband who works overseas. Tears were just brimming and my nose turning red. I was thinking how stupid I must've looked, sitting in the Toyota Service Centre lounge with a laptop and a book in my hand while eyes were tearing and nose redding. Badly wished I had my shades to cover my teary eyes. My fingers were suddenly busy brushing off tears.
Love then made me posted several love songs on my facebook wall, then made me picked up my blackberry and texted sweet endearments to dear hubbybi. Love, yet again, prevailed and triumphed.
After three hours of waiting and haggling with Love, I headed home. My children were in the living room, my eldest artistically expressing herself on the mini ikea blackboard I just bought. The young ones were playing. Love decided to linger and its energy was so contagious that my children came and hugged me as soon as I entered the house. We group hugged for a bit.
As I hooked up my lappy and keying in my password, my young one started saying they miss their father. So, I decided to bend the rule (as facebooking and interneting are only allowed on weekends) and allowed them to post messages on their father's facebook wall, via mine. All of them were saying how they miss Abah and that they love him so dearly. My heart went out to them, realizing how much they missed their father, yet amazed to see their resilience. Once done, they carried on merrily.
A friend who was reading the posting was moved by the messages and asked when my hubbybi will come back. I said we have long ago left it to the AlMighty to decide. Surrender.
Last night Love made me watched a Malay teledrama entitled “Keabadian Cinta (Everlasting Love)”. It told of three love stories, i.e. a blind girl with a mute (deaf and dumb) boy and the obstcale was communication; a 40 something year old man with a 22 year-old girl, who happens to be his best friend's daughter and of course, the obstacle was the girl's father cum the guy's best friend; and a Malay Muslim girl from a well off typical Malay family with a Mat Salleh musician boy.
All of their love were challenged, put through a test. Some were forced to give it up because of society's conditioning but eventually overcame it. In the case of the blind and the mute, at first he had to use an intermediary, a normal person who is his best friend to be the 'medium'; He'd write letters to express his feelings and the friend would read to the blind girl. However, somewhere along the way, medium friend fell in love and betrayed the 'arrangement'. As the old Malay saying, 'Harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi'.
But love prevailed and triumphed yet again. The blind girl was moved by the mute's words and expressions, that she started to fall in love. To cut the story short, the mute overcame the communication obstacle by learning up braille. Problem solved, happy ending.
The Malay girl and the Mat Saleh also had a happy ending. Although they had to give up their love to conform to the society's conditionings, especially the girl's father's condition that the future son-in-law changed his profession from a musician to a corporate bloke. That they had certain reputation to uphold. In the end, both realised they were miserable without each other, and the parents relented out of love for their daughter, only wishing for their daughter's happiness. Hence, marriage was in tow. The conditional love was unconditioned at last!
As for the 40 year-old man and the 20-year old girl, he gave it up. He had to sacrifice his feelings for he is not ready to sacrifice his friendship with the girl's father and wants her to love someone her own age. It is just a crush that she had on him.
How love weave through our lives, energising and vitalising. Love is the reason for living. Life without love is unimaginable. I always say, I can't live without love but I can survive without love..
Love is Strength. Strength in communication, as we need to sustain and preserve the relationship. Ever wondered how the Blind and The Mute (deaf & dumb) have a loving relationship? How do they communicate? One cannot hear nor speak and the other cannot see? But the only way to preserve the love and relationship is communication. This is where creativity is needed.
Orang kata cinta itu buta(People say love is blind)
Tapi Cinta boleh buat kita melihat jauh dalam hati
(But love enables us see the depths of our hearts)
Cinta tak perlu mata, telinga,
(Love needs no eyes, needs no ears)
Cinta cuma perlukan hati..
(Love only needs hearts..)
-Keabadian Cinta, Astro Prima-
Love strengthens commitment. To make it work, to make it last, to keep the fire burning. It needs commitment to stay loyal, to stay true and honest, to accept the good and the bad, to give and take, to make sacrifices or compromise. It needs commitment.
Love strengthens friendships. It fuels understanding, sensitivity, consideration and thoughtfulness, creativity, intelligence and the loyalty in one another's absence. It synergises.
Love caresses. Love wants to unite always. Ever wondered why couples never get enough of each other? Always wanting to touch, hug, caress one another? It's because love seeks love. It feeds each other. Touching is a way of expressing, communicating.
Love is possessive. It abhors being apart from each other. Trust and respect are the thrust of distance. Staying loyal in each other's absence. That's fundamental.
Love uplifts and deepens the spirit. It makes you want to soar high, it makes everything look effortless. It boosts you, motivates and energises. It is euphoric, lively and you can do anything and go on forever. Love is Energy.
So, how have you loved? Or be loved? Let not love make you a slave, but a victor. And may Love guide you to the absolute Truth..Yushida Yusuf
10.10.10
