"Many" by Alexander Calder, Courtesy of The Calder Foundation

The message telling us of our friend Mary’s passing described her has having been”surrounded by a tremendous field of love”. We imagined all the people who were part of that field, all over the world, near and far, sending their love in all kinds of ways, some as real as sitting by her bedside or doing an errand done or cooking dinner, some not tangible at all, but there all the same.

After we left the spare message on ‘the improvised life’ saying why there would be no posts for a day, we felt the emergence of another field of love. Through comments and emails, we received messages from friends and strangers, of comfort, condolence, wishes, healing, and concern…to powerful effect: we felt better.  Then we realized that ‘the improvised life’ had become a field, too.

We don’t know what a field of love looks like, but we know what it feels like. We know that it’s possible to make one in any moment: it just takes one person reaching out to another, or a few folks, or a community, focusing their attention/love/heart on something in whatever way they can. It’s an improvised thing, as unique as a spontaneous gesture of kindness, that helps us find our way.

With thanks…

Related posts: emergency medicine

what to do when someone’s in trouble

leaving secret (or surprise) presents

how-to: verbena tea for whatever life brings

‘everyday is a day for thanksgiving’

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

4 replies on “field of love

  1. beautifully said – especially the last paragraph – i too experience it as a feeling/sensing tone…for sometime now i refer to “God” as “The Field”…sweet way to start this beautiful day. thank you. what an amazing piece of artwork!!!

  2. each time i open an email or look at a facebook posting from the Improvised Life, i enjoy a quiet moment and something beautiful or inspiring or thought-provoking. even in a very simple, yet extraordinary painting….the remembrances of friends. thank you for sharing your gifts!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *