Dear readers,
Happy love month!
In the midst of winter in New York, I have been appreciating the distraction of Valentine’s Day to keep my spirits high while my Vitamin D levels plummet. (Is February anyone else's least favorite month?!)
Beyond V-Day, the concept of Love has indeed been on my mind and in my heart - and for this, I am grateful. For our book club last month, we read
All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks. What a fortuitous book to read, an insightful investigation on how one might define love - approached from various angles and dimensions - exploring concepts such as self love, childhood love, divine love, romantic love, and communal love.
I loved this discussion because to read and ruminate about love gives way to practicing love - a deliberate action that we can choose to do everyday, with every encounter: “To love somebody is not just a strong feeling – it is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever.” - Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving
For me, to practice love means to be love - the recipe to living a whole-hearted and joyful life filled with nourishing relationships that expand and transform us for the better.
As an admittedly die-hard romantic, I especially enjoyed the chapter on true love. It’s the pairing of “true” with “love” that makes this word duo so powerful; true love is a relationship built upon truth and trust, unwavering. In other words, a soul connection that transcends to the cosmos and infinity - an alchemical love. Perhaps this is my favorite description of true love yet:
“A soul connection is a resonance between two people who respond to the essential beauty of each other’s individual natures, behind their facades, and who connect on a deeper level. This kind of mutual recognition provides the catalyst for a potent alchemy. It is a sacred alliance whose purpose is to help both partners discover and realize their deepest potentials. While a heart connection lets us appreciate those we love just as they are, a soul connection opens up a further dimension – seeing and loving them for who they could be, and for who we could become under their influence.” - John Welwood, Love and Awakening: Discovering the Sacred Path of Intimate Relationship
(Read that passage again!)
Working with brides, and as a bride myself, it’s easy to get caught up in the wedding planning details and extravagance. But what I love about being a wedding florist (and fiancé!) is being a part of celebrating the union of true love - and recognizing the rarity of soul connections that surpass time and space. What’s worth celebrating more than that?!
Happy Valentine’s Day, flower friends. Cheers to love.
xx,
Emily
