A PATH to LOVE
Where can I find love?
Arm in arm with one I loved I walked contented on my path.
By and by we reached a fork and bidding me farewell my loved-one took their leave.
Desolate, I struggled on my way.
And so it happened that a young man heard my cries and offered to escort me to a shrine ordained by love.
As we approached this sanctuary I observed the trees’ decline and drop their brittle leaves upon the ground.
High above a silver lake a swan drove out its cygnet, giving chase until the air resounded with their cries.
To this blast of misery another sound was added:
the wailing of an infant scolded by its mother.
The infant’s sobs mingled with the weeping of a man, discouraged that his prayers were never heard.
“How is it that a shrine to love is filled with so much sorrow? Do you call
this love?”
“l do,” the man responded.
“For everyone there is a path that each will choose to follow.
Relinquishing this path to indulge another’s fears cannot be called love.
Love teaches self-reliance as the swan casts out its young so that they may prosper.
Upon the path you see a part, you do not see the whole.
lf you are treated harshly it may be for your good,
as a mother scolds a child when it courts disaster.
Thus your greatest foe may be your greatest friend.
When you walk upon a path those who love you come to help your journey
even though it means denying a request.
“Love has many facets and can look like
many things.
Love may appear as selfishness or hate,
be clothed in disappointment or despair,
or wear the guise of death:
the withered leaves that fall from trees decay upon the ground
and thus the earth becomes enriched.
Love may not wear a pretty face, but keep an open heart
and you will be surprised where love resides.”
Find the whole book online www.pathstoenlightenment.net
MICHAEL REECE @ ‘PATHS TO ENLIGHTENMENT’