Love is My Religion

“In every religion there is love, yet love has no religion.” Mesut Barazany

I’m sitting in the waiting room of my doctor’s office completing the paperwork they need me to fill-out before seeing the doctor. I’ve been going there for more than a decade, but they still ask me the same questions: Name, address, medications, emergency contact info and religion (yea…..religion), etc, etc.

I suppose they’re attempting to see if anything has changed since I was there last. And in, fact, something had changed. In the blank space on the form next to religion, I wrote, Love.

I grew up in a large Catholic family. Virtually all my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and certainly my parents were Catholic. Much to my Father’s chagrin, I used to jokingly refer to myself as a recovering Catholic.

I remember questioning some of the beliefs I was taught to hold at a young age; I remember the pieces not really fitting together or feeling like truth for me. In my early adulthood, I found my way to a Christian church that felt loving and I spent a lot of time there, eventually outgrowing that as well.

Here’s what I’ve found that feels true to me now:

• There are plenty of people in organized religion that really enjoy it and are doing just fine.
• There are plenty of people who find their church in the woods, in the eyes of their grandchildren or on a yoga mat….and they’re doing just fine.
• There are people reading A Course in Miracles that are opening and learning and stretching…and they’re doing just fine.
• There are people who find God through stillness and meditation…
• There are people who refer to the undeniable energy that is larger than the physical “us” as, Universe, Source, Higher Power, Soul or God; they’re all doing just fine.

To me, it’s all the same energy. It all points to the same light and it’s all the energy of love.

We can allow everyone to have their own experience, without trying to change anyone so that we can feel more secure in our “rightness.”

We can drop the labels that are there to give context to groups of people, but really just end up separating us.

We can know that some will come crawling, some crying, some on bended knee and some joyfully running towards the light. There are lots of roads to love…and they’re all worth the journey.

So now when my doctor asks my religion, I tell her love.

When Facebook wants to update my profile, I tell them, Love is my religion (yes, that’s actually an option! Go do it!)

Today’s my birthday and I bought myself a new comfy sweatshirt:

If you love it as much as I do, get one at my favorite new website: SuperLoveTees

You’re welcome!