On Sunday, Sept 11th, 2016 fifty Gabriolans gathered at The Roxy and reflected on qualities of love expressed in various phrases of 1 Cor. 13. Shelagh Houston, one of the initial founders of Gabriola Ecumenical Society, and Pandit Tejomaya, an active member, facilitated this unique experience. [After all, when do we ever sit down with one another in a public forum and talk about this profound energy that is so vital in our lives and relationships.]
This opening event of our year’s theme of Fires of Transformation. began with a social, sharing food and listening to music.
Inspired by the words articulated in our discussion, Tejomaya created a poem
Love Manifesto for Gabriola
I am a Gabriolan, and I live by love, with love, and in love.
I give birth to love each moment of my day, with patient presence and intentional openness to all who reflect my diversity.
I am the stillness of kindness that pervades the pulses of turmoil with grace, humility, compassion.
I choose love freely, without conditions, wrapping you’ness and me’ness in an ancient embrace of one’ness.
I love without fear, compassionately accepting the is’ness of all, while passionately supporting the change that we are both yearning for.
I am the living expression of purity, the manifestation of innocence, and my love flows unfettered by the past into the full potential of the present moment.
I see all that I hold to be true and eternal and all that others hold to be true and eternal and I rejoice, eternally.
When I fall, love is my resurrection; I rise without despair in the light grace.
Created by the energy that is love, sustained by the consciousness that is love, and returning the infinite that is love, I endure.
There are three things: faith, hope and love.
The greatest of these is love.
Maureen Wild created the wordle below from the words articulated in our discussion which also captures qualities that were expressed.
