December
22, 2012
Dear
Friends,
In the
aftermath of the horrific shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, many
individuals and groups have offered solace to the residents of that community
in a variety of wonderful ways. One such
group from Chicago brought ten specially trained Golden Retrievers to
town. This group believes that these
therapy dogs can offer real comfort to the emotionally distressed through their
unconditional love. And that does seem to be the case. When introduced to someone
who is suffering, it doesn’t take long for one of these cuddly creatures to
elicit a smile from that person. And
that’s a welcome relief in the midst of so much pain.
I bring this up, because this scenario is a great
example of what I often mention in my books, talks, and posts: Happiness comes
from within. It’s true that these
comforting canines are somewhat responsible for replacing pain with pleasure—if
only for a moment. Those who receive
this blessing feel genuinely loved by the dogs.
And no doubt about it, being loved feels terrific. But I believe the real truth of the matter is
this: The authentic source of the good feelings in this instance is the love
that is being extended to the dogs by
those who are petting them, holding them, and hugging them.
Within each of us—no matter how much we may be
suffering—is that joyful essence of love we call our Spirit, our Soul, or our
True Self. In times of distress we often
lose conscious contact with that divinely loving essence. And in times of great distress, we may need outside
help to regain that connection. These
“comfort canines”—as they are called—provide that help. They put something before us that is so
incredibly easy to love, we are able to do so even in the in the midst of a great
tragedy. And nothing feels better than
loving. Nothing feels better than being
true to who we are at the core of our being, which is Divine Love itself.
Here’s to being loved, my friends. But even more importantly, here’s to
loving. Here’s to reconnecting to the
Divine Spirit of Love that resides within each and every one of us . . . and
extending it.
With gratitude to the Chicago church group that
helped the people of Newtown feel love again.
Steven
© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC
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