When catastrophic events occur, they jolt us into a sobering awakened state and awaken our true connection to the language of love. A state of being focused on what is really important, what really matters – first and foremost our health and safety and the concern for our fellow members of our communities that are being affected. We suddenly realize that the day to day things we spend a lot of time thinking about are so unimportant – things I term “much ado about nothing.” Suddenly, that new dress, home furnishing, smart phone that you thought you simply had to have, fade into nothingness.
Nothingness in the face of having packed your car with what matters most to you within a few hours. And you realize how little truly does matter in terms of material things. And the miraculous magic enters our hearts and the special language of love for our communities begins to pour out.
I encountered that language of love many times during my odyssey through the state of California fleeing from the terrible fires. So many kind people who spoke with compassion and love, quietly paid for my meal, offered discounts on hotels, and all wished me the best. My heart has been overflowing. And, they all felt the same way, for they had the opportunity to “pay it forward” and help someone in need.
When I finally arrived at the guest house here in Mendocino where I have safe haven as long as I need, the owner greeted me and said: “I have always wanted to be able to do something to help out in these situations, and you are giving me that chance. Thank you!” Tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes for her gift to me was my saving grace.
While I was not evacuated from Redding and my home is safe, I left due to health reasons with having a history of heart problems. Being a researcher, I quickly assessed the air quality, researched it even further as to its impact, and knew I could not return until it is at a safer level of contaminants because of the dangerous levels of toxins and their effects on the heart and lungs.
Still, even though I am away, my heart was tugging me to connect with Redding through the language of love. For me, that language has taken the course of being a messenger of important health and safety information, posting it on Facebook and emailing it to many members of the community and my new Rotary friends. I was surprised at how many thank you messages I received for people were not aware of the valuable information I began to share.
Yes, this is speaking the language of love. The love language of our City of Redding, our community. It is a language of caring, action, good deeds, giving from the heart, hope and resilience. And the people of Redding are a people of hope and resilience. I am so grateful to be a part of this community and grateful to be able to offer my love language even from afar.
I look forward to returning when the air is healthy enough for me to go and offering HeartMath® Resilience Advantage™ workshops for the community. This is how I can continue to share my language of love.
