Love Does Not Have an Expiration Date

“Love is the beauty of the soul.” --Saint Augustine

“Love always creates, it never destroys. In this lies man’s only promise.” --Leo Buscaglia

In tough economic times, people are always looking for some type of bargain.

“How much is it? Is there a cheaper one? Can you go lower?”

We sift through the advertisements, looking for the “hot deals.” Cut coupons in hopes of saving money. Some even wait in line for several days on Black Friday in hopes of getting that big screen TV for “dirt cheap.” Others hope to save money by stockpiling huge amounts of food in their cupboard, fridge, and freezer.

What people may not realize is that all these things have an expiration date. That big screen TV will not last forever. The electronic components will eventually breakdown. The food that you have stockpiled has an expiration date. It is only good for so long.

I know that you are looking for bargains. I know that you have your share of bills to pay. Did you ever consider the alternatives? There are other things in this world that do not have an expiration date; and the best part, many of these things are free. Take for instance, love. It does not have an expiration date and it’s free. You do not have to cut coupons or wait in line for days for this.

How marvelous is that!

You do not have to pay a costly membership or join some special club. You don’t have to be the president of a company or hold your breath under water for 10 minutes. Love is there for you to share with the world. It is equally wonderful to receive love from another. I love the late Leo Buscaglia. He was referred to as Dr. Love. Leo loved traveling the world, sharing his love with the world. It did not matter if he did not speak their language. Leo spoke a language that was universal. This was the language of love. We all know it by heart.

In fact, it is from the heart that love emerges.

Our cat, Cairo, that has now passed on was a great example of unconditional love. Whenever my wife and I would come home, Cairo would make his way to the door to shower us with his love. Amazingly, it did not matter if he was sound asleep, he would still make his way to share his love with us. I write this with tears in my eyes. It was an honor to have this great spiritual teacher in our lives.

Another great example of unconditional love is the story of Koko, a female lowland gorilla born in 1971, and her special kitten. Koko treated her kitten, All Ball, as if he was her own. Tragically, All Ball was killed in a logging incident. This devastated Koko. She was heartbroken. Koko voiced her pain and heartache through sign language. Later, she cried.

These beautiful souls are a great reminder of the love that we all have. If so-called lower life forms can show love to another species, then why can’t we do this with other humans of the same species? We have a bigger brain, right? We should know better.

Trouble is that we let the ego run the show instead of our precious heart.

There are other things that we can be and do that do not expire and are free. Our kindness to one another is worth more than all the gold in the world. It feels absolutely wonderful to be treated kindly. It also feels great to treat others with kindness. In addition, showing respect, being an active listener, being compassionate, caring, being sincere, being honest, as well as the many other high frequency states, is a demonstration of love. Really being present when another speaks is not only respectful, but it says that we value the other person.

Love comes in all shapes and forms.

Love can come to you from many different avenues. We tend to think of love as something we say to one another, but it is much, much more than that.

That special drawing that our child drew for us is love. The elderly gentleman that says “Good Morning!” when he walks by is demonstrating love. The beautiful trees and plants radiate love for us all. The female animal that nurses an animal of a different species is sharing love. The wonderful synchronicities that lead you to a greater understanding, is love. The meditation that connects you to the divine is love. The list goes on and on, my friend.

This should not come to you as a surprise, for you are love itself.

I want to thank my Soul Buddy, Julie, for giving me the idea for this post. Paying attention and being present allows the Universe to flow through. This is love. This is a present to the soul.

Peace, Light, and Love

Helpful Links

To learn more about the compassionate, loving being named Koko:

http://www.koko.org/index.php

To learn more about Leo Buscaglia's extraordinary contribution to humanity:

http://www.buscaglia.com/