A friend of mine is leaving Boulder. Last night on a farm north of town, we gathered in circle to celebrate her, to love her, to send her off knowing she is held and seen and has a tribe, a family, a home that travels with her.

As I watched this friend speak in front of me, and bare her soul, be raw and let us in on her darkness and light, her struggles and wins, I wondered to myself...who is this being?

So often we think we know someone. We think we’ve met them. They’re our friend.

We’ve got their name, face, and persona, locked in our minds. Yet, do we ever truly know someone? Do we ever know the deep battles and heartaches they fight in the lonely hours?

And more importantly, if we see them, and love them, do they know? Do we express our love, or do we only save it for when it’s time to say goodbye?

It hit me in that moment to look again, to look anew and to wonder with fresh eyes, who is this being now?

As the sun set and bright orange cast a glow across the sky, we stood in circle with our feet firmly planted on the earth, mountains holding court behind us, and we held hands. We whispered words of praise and love, we grounded into earth and rose to father sky, and met the two in our hearts, and shared our love in connection and community as we wished a sister well.

At the end of circle, she graced us with a song. Tears filled my eyes as I heard her emotion and love behind the words, and as the lyrics painted a picture in my mind- the chorus repeats- “All I needed was the love you gave.”

I cried because I know this to be true. All I needed was the love you gave.

Whether from my mother, my friend, my lover, or you, in the end, after all the fights, and love, the resistance and surrender– in the end, all we needed was the love we gave.

Nothing else matters. Nothing else is real. In the end, it’s about love. Specifically, the love we give.

A Course in Miracles says, only love is real. All else is illusion. It also says, your past can touch you not, the love was real, the rest was not.

As you go about your journey today- as you seek, or push away, as you connect, or isolate, remember- in the end- it is only about the love you give.

Click below to play the song.

All my love!

XO

Rachel Claire