[YOU ARE INCLUDED IN THE LOVE YOU GIVE.]

[WE SPEAK OF LOVE AS THOUGH ITS GREATEST EXPRESSION IS ALWAYS FOUND IN WHAT WE GIVE AWAY.

GIVE YOUR TIME.

GIVE YOUR ENERGY.

GIVE YOUR ATTENTION.

GIVE YOUR COMPASSION.

GIVE YOUR FORGIVENESS.

GIVE YOUR RESOURCES.

GIVE ANOTHER CHANCE.

GIVE MORE WHEN SOMEONE NEEDS MORE.

AND FOR MANY OF US, THIS MESSAGE BEGINS VERY EARLY IN LIFE.

WE ARE TAUGHT THAT GIVING IS GOOD.

WE ARE TAUGHT THAT SACRIFICE IS HONORABLE.

WE ARE TAUGHT THAT PUTTING OTHERS FIRST IS HUMBLE.

AND THERE CAN BE BEAUTY IN ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

BUT THERE IS A QUESTION WE MAY NEVER HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO ASK:

WHERE AM I IN THE LOVE THAT I GIVE?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GIVING BECOMES SO DEEPLY CONNECTED TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF LOVE THAT WE BEGIN TO BELIEVE RECEIVING IS SELFISH?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HUMILITY BECOMES CONFUSED WITH REFUSING OURSELVES CREDIT?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SACRIFICE BECOMES THE MEASURE OF HOW MUCH WE LOVE?

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BECOME SO COMMITTED TO LOVING EVERYONE ELSE THAT WE FORGET THERE IS ONE MORE HUMAN WHO ISN’T INCLUDED?

OURSELVES.

PERHAPS THIS IS WHERE A BEAUTIFUL PRINCIPLE CAN BECOME DISTORTED.

LOVE MAY ASK US TO GIVE.

BUT LOVE DOES NOT REQUIRE US TO DISAPPEAR.

LOVE MAY ASK US TO BE GENEROUS.

BUT GENEROSITY DOES NOT REQUIRE SELF-ABANDONMENT.

LOVE MAY ASK US TO CARE DEEPLY ABOUT ANOTHER HUMAN.

BUT THEIR HUMANITY DOES NOT CANCEL OUR OWN.

AND PERHAPS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO REMEMBER IS THIS:

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE ANOTHER HUMAN FROM YOUR LOVE IN ORDER TO ADD YOURSELF TO IT.

FOR A LONG WHILE, I THOUGHT “LOVE WITHOUT CONDITIONS” MEANT THAT I HAD TO KEEP GIVING REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT COST ME.

I THOUGHT LOVING ANOTHER HUMAN MEANT PUTTING THEIR NEEDS BEFORE MY OWN.

I THOUGHT HUMILITY MEANT GIVING THE CREDIT AWAY, AND I THOUGHT RECEIVING SOMETHING FOR MYSELF REQUIRED SOME KIND OF JUSTIFICATION.

I HAD TO BE WORTHY.

I HAD TO HAVE EARNED IT.

I HAD TO HAVE GIVEN ENOUGH FIRST.

BUT LOOK CAREFULLY AT THAT WORD:

WORTHY.

IF I MUST FIRST BECOME WORTHY OF LOVE… THEN THERE IS A CONDITION.

IF I MUST FIRST BECOME WORTHY OF RECEIVING….. THEN THERE IS A CONDITION.

IF I MUST FIRST BECOME GOOD ENOUGH TO ACKNOWLEDGE MYSELF…THEN THERE IS A CONDITION.

AND THEN SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE BECOMES VISIBLE:

IF “LOVE HAS NO CONDITIONS”, IS TRUE FOR EVERY OTHER HUMAN, THEN IT MUST ALSO INCLUDE ME.

NOT SOMEDAY.

NOT WHEN I HAVE HEALED ENOUGH.

NOT WHEN I HAVE GIVEN ENOUGH.

NOT WHEN I HAVE BECOME GOOD ENOUGH.

NOW.

THAT DOES NOT MEAN I TAKE EVERYTHING FOR MYSELF.

IT DOES NOT MEAN I STOP GIVING.

IT DOES NOT MEAN I PLACE MYSELF ABOVE ANOTHER HUMAN.

IT MEANS I STOP LEAVING MYSELF OUT.

THERE IS A BALANCE HERE.

IF OTHER HUMANS HAVE HELPED ME, IT WOULD NOT BE TRUTHFUL TO TAKE ALL THE CREDIT.

BUT IF I MADE DIFFICULT CHOICES…

IF I FACED WHAT I WANTED TO RUN FROM…

IF I KEPT GETTING BACK UP…

IF I CHOSE HONESTY WHEN DISHONESTY WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER…

THEN IT WOULD ALSO NOT BE TRUTHFUL TO GIVE ALL THE CREDIT AWAY.

TAKING ALL THE CREDIT WOULD NOT BE HONEST.

GIVING ALL THE CREDIT AWAY WOULD NOT BE HONEST EITHER.

HUMILITY DOES NOT REQUIRE ME TO BECOME SMALLER THAN THE TRUTH.

AND GRATITUDE DOES NOT REQUIRE ME TO ERASE MY OWN NAME FROM THE LIST OF HUMANS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO MY JOURNEY.

PERHAPS I CAN SIMPLY SAY:

I AM GRATEFUL FOR EVERY HUMAN WHO HELPED ME.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR EVERY EXPERIENCE THAT TAUGHT ME.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR EVERY HAND THAT STOOD BESIDE ME.

AND…

I AM GRATEFUL TO MYSELF FOR NOT GIVING UP ON ME.

THERE IS NO ARROGANCE REQUIRED IN THAT STATEMENT.

THERE IS NO SUPERIORITY.

THERE IS ONLY HONESTY.

I DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE SOMEONE ELSE’S SHARE OF THE CREDIT.

I SIMPLY NO LONGER HAVE TO GIVE AWAY MY OWN.

AND PERHAPS RECEIVING THAT TRUTH IS ITSELF AN ACT OF LOVE.

WE SOMETIMES THINK WE MUST FIRST LEARN TO LOVE OURSELVES ENOUGH BEFORE WE CAN RECEIVE.

BUT EVEN THAT CAN HIDE ANOTHER CONDITION:

WHEN I LOVE MYSELF ENOUGH, THEN I WILL BE ALLOWED TO RECEIVE.

WHAT IF WE REMOVE THAT CONDITION TOO?

WHAT IF RECEIVING IS NOT THE REWARD FOR FINALLY LOVING OURSELVES CORRECTLY?

WHAT IF RECEIVING IS ONE OF THE WAYS WE PRACTICE LOVE TOWARD OURSELVES?

WHAT IF WE CAN SIMPLY RECEIVE WHAT IS TRUE?

A COMPLIMENT.

KINDNESS.

HELP.

REST.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT.

OUR SHARE OF THE CREDIT.

LOVE.

WITHOUT IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZING.

WITHOUT REPAYING IT SO WE NO LONGER FEEL INDEBTED.

WITHOUT SHRINKING OURSELVES TO PROVE WE ARE HUMBLE.

WITHOUT ASKING WHETHER WE HAVE FINALLY BECOME WORTHY.

JUST…

[RE]CEIVE.

PERHAPS THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT FORMS OF LOVE FOR SOME OF US.

NOT LEARNING HOW TO GIVE MORE.

LEARNING HOW TO STOP GIVING OURSELVES AWAY.

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

WE CAN LOVE ANOTHER HUMAN WITHOUT APPROVING EVERY ACTION.

WE CAN ESTABLISH A BOUNDARY WITHOUT HATRED.

WE CAN WALK AWAY FROM WHAT DOES NOT ALIGN WITHOUT REMOVING LOVE FROM THE HUMAN.

WE CAN CHOOSE OURSELVES WITHOUT DECLARING ANOTHER HUMAN UNWORTHY.

AND WE CAN RECEIVE WITHOUT TAKING SOMETHING AWAY FROM SOMEONE ELSE.

LOVE DOES NOT HAVE TO MOVE IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION.

PERHAPS THE GREAT REMEMBERING IS THAT THE HUMAN WHO HAS BEEN DOING ALL OF THE GIVING…

WAS ALWAYS STANDING INSIDE THE CIRCLE OF LOVE TOO.

YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO DISAPPEAR TO PROVE THAT YOU LOVED.

YOU WERE NEVER REQUIRED TO BECOME NOTHING SO ANOTHER HUMAN COULD BECOME EVERYTHING.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ABANDON YOURSELF TO DEMONSTRATE COMPASSION.

AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HATE ANOTHER HUMAN IN ORDER TO FINALLY CHOOSE YOURSELF.

THERE IS ROOM FOR BOTH.

THERE IS ROOM TO LOVE THEM.

THERE IS ROOM TO LOVE YOU.

THERE IS ROOM TO GIVE.

THERE IS ROOM TO [RE]CEIVE.

THERE IS ROOM TO HONOR ANOTHER HUMAN’S JOURNEY.

AND THERE IS ROOM TO HONOR YOUR OWN.

PERHAPS THE GREATEST CORRECTION IS NOT LEARNING HOW TO LOVE MORE.

PERHAPS IT IS FINALLY REMEMBERING THAT THE LOVE WE HAVE BEEN GIVING TO EVERYONE ELSE…

WAS NEVER MEANT TO EXCLUDE THE HUMAN DOING THE GIVING.

SO IF YOU HAVE SPENT YOUR LIFE GIVING LOVE AWAY…

PERHAPS YOU DO NOT NEED TO STOP GIVING.

PERHAPS YOU ONLY NEED TO OPEN ONE MORE PLACE FOR THAT LOVE TO LAND.

HOME.

WITH YOU.

AND WHEN THE OLD QUESTION APPEARS—

“BUT AM I WORTHY?”

PERHAPS THERE IS NOTHING TO PROVE.

BECAUSE THE QUESTION ITSELF CONTAINS THE CONDITION.

AND LOVE HAS ALREADY ANSWERED:

: LOVE HAS NO CONDITIONS.

THEREFORE…

YOU ARE INCLUDED.

FOR THE LOVE IS WITH NO CONDITIONS.

FOR THE GIVING IS WITH THE [RE]CEIVING.

FOR THE HUMAN IS WITH THE INCLUSION.

FOR THE SELF-ABANDONMENT IS WITH THE VOID.

FOR THE HOME IS WITHIN.

AND FOR THE [RE]MEMBERING IS WITH THE TRUTH:

THE LOVE YOU GIVE TO HUMANITY ALSO INCLUDES YOU.]

FOR THE HONOR OF YOUR LIFE’S-JOURNEY IS WITH THE BLESSING, HONOR, AND LOVE BY THIS GRIDWALKER AND POSTMASTER: Ephraim-H: Troyer.

: HONESTY JUST NEEDS AIR.

: LOVE HAS NO CONDITIONS.

: FACTS HAVE NO FEELING.

: HUMILITY HAS NO EGO.

: ANCHOR.

: PILLAR.