Love, love, love. According to a great Beatles song, “all you need is love”. I love listening to their songs about the very groovy kind of love that existed in the 1960’s. Tonight, I send out this Valentine to anyone and everyone that needs some love. The internet opens a pathway that allows little ol’ me to reach out and connect with others near and far. If you’ve ever suffered a broken heart and dread Valentine’s Day, you are not alone. I wrote this poem after losing a deep love and thought I would share it because it may speak to your heart:

Ode to Lost Loves

He was a dream that suddenly disappeared.
The dream started as quickly as it ended.
I floated on a cloud to a place
where everything was magical:
the sunsets,
the moon,
art museums,
park benches,
endless conversations.

My soul had met its match,
or so I had thought.
It was heaven on earth
until it slipped away.
I was blind to the truth,
but the truth cannot be denied.

It all changed and I was left alone.
Alone to ponder what had happened.
Alone to pick up the million slivers of my heart
and try to reassemble them.
Alone to imagine a life, other than the dream.

How could such a dream disappear?
Where did it go?
Maybe it becomes the seed for the next dream.
Maybe this is all a dream –
every minute of every day.
Maybe I have never been alone…..

In today’s world, there seems to be so many conditions attached to love. It can be challenging to open your heart to another and risk rejection. We can feel isolated in our lives as we protect our hearts. I am very adept at keeping my heart protected by walls of armor. I painted this Valentine’s mandala to portray some of the layers of protection expanding and loosening their grip. There is some white space appearing between the layers. One day those walls will open and another heart can come in. Until then, I send this out into the ether. I send my love to all the souls out there who need to feel a splash of love. You are not alone. We are all connected. We are all worthy of a grand love.

Namaste.