Love is without rules.

Love is a force without labels, boundaries, or rules.

We all feel it, we all have a right to it. Let us embrace love. Always.

"Love is Coursing Through My Veins"

(Source: LoveisCoursing, edited by RoseAlma)

"Love came and became like blood in my body.

It rushed through my veins and encircled my heart.

Everywhere I looked, I saw one thing.

Love's name written on my limbs,

on my left palm, on my forehead,

on the back of my neck, on my right big toe...

Oh, my friend,

all that you see of me is just a shell,

and the rest belongs to love."

Rumi (1207-1273)

Thankful Thursday

(Source: small handfuls, edited by RoseAlma)

Today I am thankful for home.

Home in many beautiful ways:

• home as in out of the hospital and in my parents' house again. In my bed and around my three incredibly loving younger brothers.
• home in my beautiful new downstairs bedroom that my family built for me while I was away. No more restless nights on the living room couch because I'm too weak to walk up the stairs to my room. And their love is infused in every stroke of pink paint, every carefully-hung decoration, every thoughtful placement of furniture.
• home in my beautiful fiance who surprised me by appearing at the hospital, having come all the way from Florida. And who is now here in Tennessee to stay with me always.
• home in the smiles and laughter of all my loved ones, including my nine siblings. Such rare and beautiful times make for memories that keep me strong when the storm clouds come. 
• home in the love of my parents, without whom I would not make it through. They are my foundation, my protection, my strength, my heart. And all love in me springs from the love in them.

I am most grateful, today and everyday, for all these beautiful feelings of home.

Dear people, what are you thankful for?

"All the powers in the universe are already ours. 

It is we who have put our hands before our eyes 

and cry that it is dark."

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), Hindu spiritual leader

(Source: goodreads, edited by RoseAlma)

Music Monday!

It's a tinge late, but I deliver you our musical entertainment for this Monday. My apologies for the delay, but I have been a bit behind on things... I was finally released from the hospital today, after being in for three weeks and one day! And what a beautiful day to be free and alive. In honor of this beautiful day and this beautiful life and this beautiful love we all share, here is a sweet little love-filled tune. Peace and love, my darling people. ♥

"Peace can start with just one heart."

Holly Near (1949-), American teacher and songwriter

(Source: OneWorldOneHeart)

"No one is born hating another person 

because of the color of his skin, 

or his background, or his religion. 

People must learn to hate, 

and if they can learn to hate, 

they can be taught to love. 

For love comes more naturally 

to the human heart."

Nelson Mandela (1918-), 

South African president

"Cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings."

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC),
the Buddha, Indian spiritual teacher

(Source: MettaRefuge, edited by RoseAlma)

Thankful Thursday

(Source: WilliamPowers, edited by RoseAlma)

Today I am thankful for a fair few beautiful things:

• The colorful fall leaves that my mother sprinkled atop my hospital bed after returning from home. They came from our beautiful trees in the front yard, and she knows how I yearned to see them turn. They range in color, from burnt orange to lemony yellow to rich crimson red. So beautiful. 
• The homemade pasta lunch delivered to me by surprise, from my oldest darling sister. She made me two versions to suite my veggie/vegan needs: one with cheese and one without. Her smiles, warmth, and love made it all that much richer.
• The irresistible and endearingly drooly smile of my beautiful four-month-old niece. Her sweet little face melts my heart. One look in those eyes, and my worries are gone. So gentle and pure.
• The softness and warmth of a new pink pashmina on a cold November day.
• The ability and endurance to walk 1,100 steps in six minutes at a strong pace. I am beginning to feel like me again, and I'm cherishing that feeling for the moment.
• The overflowing, overwhelming feeling of love that overcame me this evening. The world is turning, and we are all together in it. Love will always carry us on. 

What are you thankful for, my beautiful ones? ♥

Alma Awakens.

Dear beautiful ones,

I would like to share a little something with you. It is a personal creation of mine, and it is fueled purely by love. Please listen closely, and enjoy. Infinite peace and love. ♥

Alma Awakens. from Rose Alma on Vimeo.

From the readers...

A quote shared by a beautiful reader named Lindsay:

"Have a heart that never hardens, 

a temper that never tires, 

a touch that never hurts."

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), 

English novelist of the Victorian period

(Photo taken and edited by RoseAlma)

Thank you for sharing, Lindsay. Everyone feel free to do the same. ♥

"Soft is stronger than hard, water than rock, love than violence."

Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), German-born writer and painter

(Source: jessicatorres, edited by RoseAlma)

Music Monday!

Today we listen to a song full of nostalgia. And in this feeling of warmth and remembering,

there is so much love to be had. Enjoy, sweet people.

Never lost. Never alone.

Hello sweet readers. ♥

This particular entry today is for a dear Anonymous reader who commented a bit go, on our first quote posting. Normally, I would respond to comments on posts in the comment box of that post. But I thought that this one in particular could fit right in here too. So let us begin...

Our Anonymous friend writes:

"I sometimes feel lost and like I'm drowning... not sure how to cope sometimes."

Dear Anonymous being, We feel lost only when we forget that we are connected to everyone and everything. We are never apart from the world around us. We are all one. One with everything that is. And if we can always remember this connectivity, seeing a piece of ourselves in everything and everything in ourselves, then we will know the truth... that we are NEVER alone.

It is hard to be lost when we come to realize our connection to everything.
Because we then come to see that we are only exactly where we're meant to be. Never lost.

There is, as the beautiful Beatles once said,

"Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be."

What helps us get to this place of certainty and oneness?

Love.

Love is all we need.

So remember our connection to all, and remember to live in love.
Genuinely, deeply, every moment - as much as you can.
And you will notice the drowning feeling you have dissipating.
Because when we genuinely allow ourselves to live a life of love, nothing can bring us down.

Infinite peace and love to you, beautiful Anonymous soul. ♥

"We have got to understand 

that they dream our dreams and we dream theirs.

We have got to understand that they are us."

Rachel Corrie (1979-2003), American peace activist

(Source: Peacemonger, edited by RoseAlma)

Loveful, Thoughtful Friday

Hello beautiful souls. ♥

This Friday I share with you some words and a quote from a beautiful reader named Megan. She writes:

"The Avett Brothers has always been a very special band to me, and this song in particular carries meaning. It was the first song by them that I ever heard, and it's always summed up my feelings about love. Love doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to mean expensive gifts, detailed dates, or every spare minute spent together. Sometimes it's as simple as a dance in a crowd of singing people, under the stars, on a chilly October night..."

'Well, life is ever-changing,  

but I can always find a constant 

and comfort in your love.

With your heart, my soul is bound 

and as we dance I know 

that heaven will be found.'

(Swept Away by The Avett Brothers)

Megan, you bring up a beautiful and significant perspective on love. In this case, we are speaking of romantic love. But I believe this mindset could translate into our love for anyone. Love should not be about prices, gifts, extravagant dates, or grand romantic gestures. With family and friends, it shouldn't be about expensive meals or holiday gifts or the favors you do. Love, genuine love, flows effortlessly. Instead of thinking of ourselves and wondering what our loved ones can do for us, let's turn it around. Think about what we can do for the ones we love. We should always try to show our love. And in it's purest, most genuine form. Act from the heart, and only from the heart. This practice will likely fill our lives with inexplicable warmth and beauty.

Thank you so much for writing in, Megan. Your sharing has added light, insight, and love to our community. More questions and comments ahead in the coming week. I encourage all you beautiful readers to join in the love and fun; send in your questions, comments, quotes, insights, and anything else. 

All is welcome, all is love. Send it here: we.are.one@inbox.com

Enjoy your weekend, sweet readers.

Take a step outside and smell the lovely air for me. ♥

Peace and love.

Rosie

"I appeal as a human being to human beings:

Remember your humanity and forget the rest."

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), 

Welsh philosopher and activist

(Source: aRoom, edited by RoseAlma)

Thankful Thursday

(Source: NichirenBuddhist, edited by RoseAlma)

Today I am thankful for three beautiful strangers. 

The first is named Joy. She is a sweet middle-aged woman with short, graying hair. Wearing glasses and earrings, she sparkles inside and out. You can tell from her eyes and her smile. Joy is part of the housekeeping staff at the University of Tennessee hospital in Knoxville. And she has been a beautiful visitor of mine for two days now. From the first moment I saw her, her positive energy and warmth was overflowing. Friendly and sweet, she shares tales about her three month old great-nephew. We only had two or three little conversations, she and I. But sweet Joy left a lasting impression on me. I am grateful for her happy, loving heart.

The second is named Rob. He is a middle-aged man with trim hair and a cap. He wears glasses, and an apron over his chest. The first time I met him, he was serious and stern. Working for the food service staff at UT hospital, he had come to take my food order for the coming day. He had difficulty accepting my vegetarian/ almost vegan diet at the start, and tried to refuse me certain foods. But after that rough introduction, each day he came back a bit sweeter. Now, without even asking, he often leaves extra treats on my tray: plate of fruit here, cup of cubed cheese there. His slow turn around surprised me. In person, he still holds up a rather serious demeanor. And he doesn't seem to care for conversation, perhaps too busy or too shy. But I sense a quiet sweetness in his actions, and it has warmed my heart. I am thankful for his little, meaningful kindnesses.

The third is named Amy. She is a lady in her twenties or thirties, with chocolate brown hair cropped about her quiet face. Fashioning her own apron, she occupies a busy counter. The java cafe in the lobby of UT hospital. Clearly a veteran barista, she handles the masses with ease. And today was my third day visiting her. I'm not one for coffee, but instead adore a rather particular chai drink. By today, she knew it by heart. The counter was busy and the people were swarming. I was in the back of the line, just hoping to buy my chai treat and avoid any germs. By the time I rolled up to the counter to order, I hadn't gotten a word out before I saw her hand reach across the counter, warm beverage in hand. "Already made it," she said with a reserved smile. And that simple act filled my heart with instant, infinite warmth.

Love is all around us. 

And everyone shows it in the little ways they can.

Beautiful ones, what are you thankful for? Please share. We all would love to read. ♥

"If the basic human nature was aggressive, 

we would have been born with animal claws and huge teeth. 

But ours are very short, very pretty, very weak. 

That means we are not well equipped to be aggressive beings."

Tenzin Gyatso (1935-), fourteenth Dalai Lama

(Source: Whateverhappens, edited by RoseAlma)

a Poem: Love is ever-present.

I love to write poetry. And for many months now, my work has been evolving, welling up from a different place inside. In contrast to all my previous writing, it is now primarily about love. A slightly divergent topic or feeling may arise on occasion; but for the most part, my words are bathed in love's light. So here and there, I wish to share these poetic insights with you, my beautiful readers. 
Please have them for whatever they may be worth. ♥

Love is ever-present.

I am not now, nor will I ever be, unloved.

Love is around me, love is within me.

I am love.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, unloved.

Love is around you, love is within you.

You are love.

We are not now, nor will you ever be, unloved.

Love is around us, love is within us.

We are love.

"One who does not hate any creature, 

who is friendly and compassionate... 

is dear to me."

Bhagavad Gita, Hindu scripture

(Source: theHeartArtist, edited by RoseAlma)

Music Monday!

Our music today is by one of my favorite bands, and it is a song I hold very close to my heart.

Feel the love. It's pouring from their words, their melodies, and souls. And it's absolutely beautiful. ♥

"If we have no peace, 

it is because we have forgotten 

that we belong to each other."

Mother Teresa (1910-1997), 

Catholic nun and missionary worker

(Source: JenniferGarry, edited by RoseAlma)

Beautiful Earth

Yesterday I was sitting at my hospital window, watching the sun sink down into the earth. The colors were so rich, the warmth so palpable. Rolling hills, speckled with shadowy violet trees, hugged the gold-laiden horizon. And the way the two gently met captured my heart. It made me immediately wonder, "How can people not want to protect this earth? It is so beautiful." I couldn't help the tears that followed.

Earth is our mother. Without her majestic and graceful existence, we cannot be. And yet many human beings give her no thought, no love. But no one is more deserving. If we think about it openly and objectively, it is quite simple to see that we must love the sweet earth before all else. In order to spread our love for all humanity, we first must give all the love in our hearts to the earth. For she is our home. Our beautiful, delicate home. And loving her will strengthen and enliven our love for all that is.

This video beautifully illustrates the majesty of our sweet earth. ♥

Do what you can for the earth. It needs our infinite love.

"Along the way of life, 
someone must have sense enough 

and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate.

This can only be done by projecting the ethic 
of love to the center of our lives."

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), 
American Civil Rights leader

(Source: flaxart, edited by RoseAlma)

Loveful, Thoughtful Friday

Hello dear people. ♥

This Friday I will share with you what one individual wrote in. Anonymous writes:

"Dear Rosie, I feel lost and alone and as if I am drowning. I know I am loved, but struggle with the challenges that life lay ahead of me. I am not selfish, nor do I seek to complain... but I am unsure of the next step. I desire to help loved ones and grow individually, but again feel unsure."

Anonymous, I was discussing a similar subject with a dear friend a bit ago. We found through our exchange that we happened to share an overarching perspective in relation to these sorts of feelings - those of isolation, unhappiness, loneliness, and uncertainty. And here it is:

There is no such thing as 'alone'.

We are all part of each other. Everything and everyone joined. Related. Interconnected. Through our stories, through our experiences, through our struggles, joys, lives, and love: we find a oneness among us. Once you can open your eyes and your heart to this oneness, you will find that you can never truly be alone. Because the entire universe and all its beauty is always with you, always part of you.

I understand this thought may need time to process, and it may not immediately help you and your needs. But what could greatly help you, sweet Anonymous reader, is if you tried to actively focus less on your internal worries and fears about life and what may or may not happen, and instead focus on helping others and enjoying all that you can of the moment and the people and the beauty that is in front of you.

Living in the now and focusing on others are two beautiful practices that will enrich your life, and all of our lives, in unimaginable ways.

I hope you know that you are NEVER alone, dear reader.
And life is meant to be enjoyed day by day, moment for moment.
Whatever will come, will come. But we know right now, we have infinite love. ♥

"Enlightenment [is] nothing more or less 

than seeing things as they are rather than 

as we wish or believe them to be."

Steve Hagen, Buddhism Plain and Simple

Zen writer and priest

(Source: smash&peas, edited by RoseAlma)

Thankful Thursday

(Source: Dr. Akilah, edited by RoseAlma)

Today I am thankful for the sun. Having been in the hospital since very early Monday, I have not been outside and in the company of the sun for a long while. And loving nature as I do, my heart was experiencing withdrawals. I needed the warm sun, the crisp air, and the beautiful sounds of the natural world around me.
And for a few moments, I was granted that precious gift. 'Til we meet again, beautiful earth. ♥

I am also grateful for my incredibly beautiful parents. They're with me through it all.
And I am so very blessed to have their warmth, protection, and love.

Sweet people, what are you thankful for this week and this day?

"Where do we stop and the people in this room begin... 

Where does mind and spirit begin and end, 
where does caring start and stop, 

where are the edges of intelligence 
and curiosity and love?"

Richard Bach, One (1936-)

(Source: ThroughYourBody, edited by RoseAlma)