SHARING LOVE

Red Sashes & Violins, Millenium Park, Chicago, IL
Shared Love, Millenium Park, Chicago, IL

“THOUSANDS OF CANDLES CAN BE LIGHTED FROM A SINGLE CANDLE, AND THE LIFE OF THE CANDLE WILL NEVER BE SHORTENED. LOVE NEVER CEASES BY BEING SHARED.”
--CHINESE PROVERB

Jesus summed up all the rules we need to know about living when he was challenged by the learned, adult, religious high command to state which commandment was the greatest. He simply stated that we should love God and love others. When his disciples discouraged parents from bringing their little children to him he also rebuked them and said that the kingdom of God belongs to such as them. We simply need to bring the trusting nature we initially had as a child, before the world and the years hardened us. Then, we can freely share our talents with the world like the young Chinese violinists and our concern for others like the toddlers. Once a child understands that another person is loving and caring, they do not need complete intellectual understanding and a filtered bias to believe and trust in them. Security and trust are manifested in holding hands together and watching out for each other as they confront the world. I love the message this image communicates. The youngest "Princess", as identified on the backpacks, is being protected on either side by her trusted companions. They have a common bond that is visually seen by the rope and the holding of hands. But the unseen and most obvious bond of all is the presence of the shared love that brightly radiates from this little trio of buddies. Childhood innocence and trust and hope for the future may be one of the few reasons the world still exists.