Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

— 1 Corinthians 13

Welcome, Inspired Seekers!

I have been thinking a lot about love lately – it seems as if this pandemic surfaces that which is most important in our lives. At least I hope that is the biggest lesson of the many we are being taught.

I suppose I'm also focused on love because of all the wedding cancelations that I have received; postponements, really, but, somehow, these delays are often labeled as cancelations. And that makes me sad.

A wedding, a marriage, is not an ending point to be celebrated and then dismissed. It is too often seen as a glorious finale to a romantic partnership rather than entry into a life steeped in love – Cue the cake cutting and confetti.

As I will soon celebrate 36 years of married life, I know – in my bones – that a marriage is only the beginning of love unfolding. I have learned that, as love unfolds, it evolves with many creases and a few snags. And it looks differently through well-worn years. I have loved the flowers, the secret weekends away and the little love notes that my husband and I have given to each other.

But I have come to cherish the richness and depth of love expressed as deep service to each other, of being first in someone's life and of comfort and forgiveness that nurtures us both. That is a powerful love; a love that transforms us on a cellular level. A love that expands, beyond a singular relationship into a greater sense of compassion for the world, while maintaining a sacred intimacy.

Perhaps it took this pandemic to really help us understand that love sustains all things, that the fruits of love bring us into a more profound relationship with our beloved, our God and each other. It is helping me see the possibilities in the midst of pain and the hope that rises from helplessness.

So, dear readers, as we make our way through these days, may love grow in your hearts; trust that you will be sustained, fueled by hope and filled with possibilities for goodness.

And, if your wedding day has been postponed, trust that love will endure and your new beginning will simply have a different start date!

Grace, fully yours,
Reverend Deborah

Monthly Affirmation: With love, all things are possible.

Should you need to reschedule your special day, The Reverend Deborah can be reached at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com or 215 260 1611..