Journal of Sacred Work

Days 112-114 – Aimless Love

  Billy collins 2  "This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,/ I fell in love with a wren…" Only great poets like Billy Collins can catch the hem of a mystery he calls "Aimless Love."

   The Journal routinely addresses caregiver love and supports those who offer it each day. Collins celebrates another of love's shapes.

   "In the shadows of an autumn evening/ I fell for a seamstress/ still at her machine in the tailor's window, and later for a bowl of broth,/ steam rising like smoke from a naval battle."

   But, what is so wonderful about love for someone or something who lives unaware of our feelings? "This is the best kind of love," Collins writes, "without recompense, without gifts,/ or unkind words, without suspicion/ or silence on the telephone."

   Although he is right that the wren and the bowl of broth can never betray us this love is not "the best." It cannot provide the passionate energy that vibrates among people who live love in relationship. Thus, it lacks that kind of challenge. 

   But, what a fine thing to embrace "Aimless Love" the way Collins describes it: The love of the chestnut,/ the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel./ No lust, no slam of the door…"

  What a particular peace this offers. 

-Erie Chapman 

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6 responses to “Days 112-114 – Aimless Love”

  1. Anne Milligan Avatar
    Anne Milligan

    I really, really “get” this, Erie… Thank you for sharing this wonderful reflection. I thought about this so many times when walking along the beach in Florida, wondering if the shorebirds were aware of my love for them and my blessing of them. I wanted somehow to know if that was true, but eventually we just learned to cooperate with each other in silence. A genuine, open loving relationship is still best (I think)and definitely requires more oomph!!!

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  2. JVD Avatar
    JVD

    God is in all things…
    I have been reworking our backyard slowly but…. I need to pull up old pavers and relocate them a few yards away. In the past when I pulled one up, the ants and spiders would be startled and run for new cover. I would then grab my can of insect killer and devastate them. But recently I have come to see God in all things and just let them be. If the insects were there I would walk away for a few minutes and when I came back, they would be gone from the location I was working in. After awhile I noticed that there were a lot of lizards in the backyard that were getting closer and closer to me as I worked in the yard. At one point I could tell they were actually following me around as soon as I went out to the backyard. They were anticipating my pulling up of the pavers. Sure enough when I started pulling up a new section of pavers, the lizards were waiting within a foot of my working area. So the insects were not just hiding in new places as much as my new friends were helping get rid of my daughters giant fear of spiders.
    There is a place in my heart for lizards, great and small.
    (And Erie I really like the picture with the glasses. Helps us focus on the poem.)

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  3. erie chapman Avatar
    erie chapman

    Anne: Yes, you are someone who would “get” this immediately because you are such a fine artist and light-filled person. Thank you.

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  4. erie chapman Avatar
    erie chapman

    JVD: This is another eloquent and powerful comment by you. Finding a place in your heart for lizards is surely an expression of “aimless love.” Thank you!

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  5. ~liz Wessel Avatar
    ~liz Wessel

    Surely, you offer a compelling insight, Erie…”.this love is not “the best.” It cannot provide the passionate energy that vibrates among people who live love in relationship. Thus, it lacks that kind of challenge.”
    When we can recognize “the best” in one another we support mutual growth.
    A keen awareness of how old wounds are triggered can foster healing through non-judgmental presence. To be seen and accepted in our humanness is indeed a great gift. What a fine weaving of your own eloquence, Erie; this and Collins poem interlace in a heavenly sigh of peace.

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  6. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Erie: I like your comment: “the Journal routinely addresses caregivers love and supports those who offer each day”. Collins celebrates another of love’s shape”. Patient’s are interesting people, they with their different maladies come to us for comfort and healing. Some are more tolerant of what they go through and some are not. We do our very best to be supportive and provide the best care we possibly can. I happen to love rocks of any shape and sizes. Some are enormous as I view the stalactites and the stalagmites in the caves I have visited, the various rock formation in Colorado and the Rockies. I stand in awe at God’s Creation! I also love the smooth pebbles by the beach…the waves lapping on them! What a joy it brings to my heart and to others too. sbeng

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