Moving Forward with Love

I’m a planner by nature. I like to have schedules and itineraries. I’m clear on my preferences, and I have detailed ideas of what I want my life to look like. But I’ve learned over the years that making room for spontaneity, trusting life as it happens, and saying yes can lead in wonderful, surprising directions. This has been on my mind during the last several weeks as I was anticipating a sad anniversary. It was around this time last year that my husband and I lost our sweet tabby cat, Buddy, to cancer. A few months later we also lost our elderly Siamese cat, Tiptin. I shared my thoughts through these letters about the importance of practicing gratitude and acceptance, especially when going through sad and stressful times. Even so, it was a tough year.

My husband and I swore off pet ownership indefinitely. We told ourselves we weren’t ready for another pet and needed a long interval to process our loss. We decided we might adopt a pair of bonded cats when we felt ready.

A month after losing Tiptin, a little black cat started coming around and hanging out on our porch. He was skittish but warmed to us quickly. Before long, he was showing up most days and visiting for increasingly long periods.

I learned from neighbors that he would visit them too, seeking some friendly pats or a little food, but no one knew where he lived. He didn’t have a collar or a microchip.

One night we opened our door to him and he came right in. The next morning, we let him out, but he didn’t leave our porch. He had decided we were the people for him. It’s not what we planned, and it’s not what we thought we wanted, but I’m so glad we said yes to this sweet creature.

Saying Yes to Love and to Life

I thought about other instances when I resisted a new thing because I remained too attached to the old. At times when I had such a firm picture of what I wanted or how it was going to show up, I almost didn’t recognize a blessing when it arrived in a different form or from an unexpected source. There were also times I just did not feel ready to move forward because of fear or uncertainty.

I think that’s happened to most of us. After all, imagination is a powerful spiritual gift, the one we use to give shape and form to our ideas. But it can be limiting if we don’t allow room for divine order, timing, and grace.

Our own thinking can work against us too, keeping us imprisoned in conditioned ways of being. To feel freer, it’s important to pay attention to the heart’s message. It’s tempting to listen to the mind’s wisdom, to make the sensible choice and choose the safe option. Following the heart’s wisdom is different. Often, it is the call to do the unexpected, the scary, the surprising. But when you feel your heart open, when you feel pulled to try the new thing or venture into unfamiliar territory, it is likely your guidance calling you higher into growth and discovery.

If you are tempted to say no to something unexpected or pass on an opportunity because it doesn’t look the way you thought it should or you don’t feel quite ready, I invite you to pause and consider what might happen if you said yes instead. I also invite you to trust you will have the support you need when you need it and that your next steps will be made clear even if the entire path is not visible.

The next time something unexpected shows up at your doorstep—literally or figuratively—say yes. Say yes to love and feel your heart open. Say yes to life and watch your world expand. Say yes and live from the depths and strength of your divinity—the wisdom, love, and grace of God within you.