As I woke up this morning, I started thinking about what it means to love and love unconditionally. So often love comes with strings attached and conditions. If you are good, I will love you. If you behave, I will love you. If you get good grades, I will love you. If you are successful, I will love you. Messages like these are everywhere. The reality is that the person who loves most likely really does love unconditionally, yet they have been taught to give and withhold love on conditions and so the pattern gets repeated.
I recently had the amazing experience of unconditional love at its purest and it forever changed me. I have had issues my whole life with love and the security of love, or lack of it (what they call abandonment issues). As I sat with two of my friends, I poured my heart out and my fears. They offered themselves in a way I had never experienced. "Whatever you need, we are here for you," they offered. They told me I could ask for whatever I needed. My response plain and simple was, "I don't know how. I have never been allowed to just ask and then definitely have never gotten the love and support I needed." They offered it unconditionally and told me that whatever I needed, they would be here. It was like in that moment something shifted in my body, my bones and even my cells that rewired my brain and opened my heart. It felt like it healed a lifetime of hurt.
As I thought about the experience, I realized that part of it, was that I had finally started to love myself unconditionally and as a result, I could be open to that kind of love from others. I realized, that is truly the key. As we love ourselves unconditionally, we may be open to receiving and accepting unconditional love from others. How do you, or may you begin to, love yourself unconditionally? As you do, you may begin to find the same unconditional love going out to others! Enjoy, open your heart and love fully, unconditionally!
The only love worthy of a name is unconditional. ~ John Powell
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