Our friend, teacher, poet, and author Michael Koran recently presented a lecture entitled, Death Is the Best Trip of All, That’s Why It Is Saved For Last. It was a wonderful evening with conversation involving love, life, and death. Michael has come to a very deep understanding of his life and love as he lives with terminal cancer. In conversation Michael said that all the song lyrics stating that “all you need is love” or “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” and a whole host of others – are heard so much that over time they become cliche, and we forget that they are all fundamentally and foundationally very true…and very truly represent the things that matter most in life. “All you need is love” sounds simple enough…until we understand that the “you” in the song lyric is “everyone”… including me and you and people we strongly disagree with. And shining our little heart-light is hard work when the majority of the world feels like a windstorm. In his talk, Micheal emphasized his understanding of fierce and fearless love. Greek and Roman philosophy tells us that there are many types of love (Phila, Pragma, Eros, Agape, Philautia, Ludus) and that’s accurate…and most likely not comprehensive… and the Sufis say that desire is the first step toward love divine and/but also the very thing that prevents complete union with a love divine…ah, love’s tangled web! 
But today is Valentine’s Day and so let’s move beyond philosophy and the mind and into the heart and arms – I held a beautiful, beautiful baby recently (wild amazing absorption awareness, fully present and precious loving, trusting energy); I hugged my friend Michael Koran recently (joyFULL loving wisdom energy); I recently hugged my old high school friend who now sits in a wheelchair due to paralysis (grief/hope/recovery and forever loving friendship heart energy); I hugged my mother recently (loving celebration and lineage of ancestor energy – unconditional love, pride and support and “look where we are now, where we’ve made it to” energy); I hugged my two children (both in their early 20s) recently (journeying, lovingly loosening toward letting go of the kite string, standing back and watching hearts fly away energy); I hugged my wife of 30 years recently (time-travel “I see you clearly now….I see you clearly then…unbroken love lineage of history – from 15 years old to now 53- and the unspoken language of the heart and past-present-future horizon endless vow (WOW) energy); I’ve recently listened to ALOT of Roxy Music (remember Love Is The Drug, Over You, Avalon, More Than This, Beauty Queen, etc., etc.,…?), and ALOT of Jazz (A Love Supreme anyone?)…and Julie London (a recent discovery of her record Julie Is Her Name with master jazz guitarist Barney Kessel is a joy of mine this Valentine’s week – with many beautiful American Songbook love songs…I’m Glad There Is You); I’ve read ALOT of love poetry recently…plug for our upcoming LCE class on heart-master Edna St. Vincent Millay; and Emily Dickinson, Rumi, Wilde, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, and on and on.
Finally I’ve attended many events (including The Lantern Festival at the First Parish, and helping host tabla cultural musical experiences for elementary students) and classes here at LCE recently too, and know from experience that there is so much intelligence and heart that goes into this community education program. I often feel that every month is poetry month here at LCE – but it’s also true that everyday feels a bit like Valentine’s Day, too. I trust and hope that you, dear reader, have had your own share of equally amazing, connecting, and warming winter hugs, realizations and experiences leading up to this day. So, from the mind/heart of LCE, Happy Valentine’s Day to YOU! I hope to see you in class or at an event in the weeks ahead. And spring (and the spring catalog) is coming!
