Celebrating love a good thing to do every day.

Byline: FROM HEART TO HEART By Stana Knez For The Register-Guard

Years ago, a family from Haifa, Israel, lived across the courtyard from my family while they were on sabbatical at the local university. Our sons quickly became inseparable, and soon our families were sharing more than just a courtyard.

The differences between our families opened many opportunities for learning and understanding. Holidays, theirs and ours, provided a fun vehicle for the newness we shared. Together we celebrated each holiday that rolled around. The children made cards and decorations, taught one another songs and shared stories. The adults cooked and talked about the traditions and meaning of each holiday.

The first time our usual process didn't go very smoothly was in February. I found myself trying to explain Valentine's Day, and realized that, for me, there was more to celebrating love than Hallmark moments. This realization became clear as my neighbor, Raya, and I were shopping for valentines, and Raya asked, "Who would say these things to someone they love?"

As a student of Science of Mind, I believe love is a synonym for God or the Divine. Ernest Holmes, the founder of the Science of Mind, wrote, "Love is the impartation of the divine through the human experience." I understand love to be a spiritual quality that is innate in everyone, so what Raya and I read in those cards seemed flat and very limited.

I am grateful to know that other people aren't what make me feel loving or loved, nor would someone else's love make me happy forever. My connection with the divine is the source of my awareness and experience of love.

Holmes adds, "Love is a cosmic force whose sweep is irresistible." The nature of life is to love in, as and through each one of us, and I believe that we open ourselves to receive more love by giving more love.

For me, that means I want to pay attention to the way I greet myself when I look in the mirror. I want to be open-hearted and mindful in my connection with my neighbor, co-worker or the people at the store, as well as the person on the corner with a sign asking for help. Each of these circumstances is an opportunity to allow that irresistible force to well up inside, and recognize that each of us is the Beloved.

Raya and I decided that February is a month to celebrate love, pure and simple. Our families were like a bunch of little birds, all atwitter with this "new" idea. We looked for and appreciated the love in everything and everyone. When something didn't go very well, we talked about how the flow of love in the situation may have been detoured.

By the end of the month, we were so used to our expanded awareness that we decided celebrating love was a good thing to do every day. So, this month I wish you a happy Valentine's Day, but I wish you the experience of love in each moment!

Stana Knez is a licensed Science of Mind practitioner and has completed her ministerial training. Knez attends Spiritual Growth Center and serves on the board of Two Rivers Interfaith Ministries, a network of more than 35 religious traditions in the Eugene-Springfield area. For more information, visit www.interfaitheugene.org or call 344-5693.