“Loving one another isn’t enough to make a relationship last. The real glue that holds a couple together is the effort both put into helping others who are in need of financial, health, personal or emotional assistance.” — the Kabbalah.

Today, the birds found the feeders we filled the other day, and I stood by the Lilac tree and watched them come, one by one. Today, a celebration of life and love here on the farm, mine and Maria’s.

We are stepping out of our daily routine to go off and be together for one night, and consider what is important in life. Sometimes, when I Iook beyond our farm, I see a world where love is forgotten, full of conflict and lament.

I don’t with that to ever be my world.

This day is devoted to my gratitude for love.

“Love is a weapon of light, and it has the power to eradicate all forms of darkness,” says the Kabbalah.

Love is the point, God tells his people.

“That is the key,” wrote the mystics. “When we offer love even to our enemies, we destroy their darkness and hatred….what’s more, we cast out the darkness inside ourselves. What’s left are two souls who now recognize the spark of divinity they both share.”

Hurt people hurt people. That’s how pain gets passed along, generation after generation. Today, I will break the chain. I seek to meet anger with empathy, contempt with compassion, cruelty with kindness. To greet grimaces with smiles. Forget arguments and blaming and hating others. Love is the weapon of the future.

That is how I wish to share my life. They can offer all the discounts they want on material things, but they can’t take our inner spirits away.

I’ll be back in the morning, and I wish you a peaceful and reflective day.