In fact, our green earth is opening its heart right now as plants are emerging and opening. Each day we see plants opening and spreading leaves as though they are opening open arms ready to give us and our world embracing and caring hugs. And in the center of these plants, at their heart, will be the buds and flowers and growth that will insure their future and, in turn, our future. 

 

This past weekend as we celebrated our WW anniversary, I observed caring hearts over and over again. In the greetings customers gave us and each other as they entered our store. In the huge stacks of donated clothes that came embraced in the hugging arms of customers. In the expressions of thanks for our both our store over the years and our annual clothing drive for Rose Brooks. And I thought of the hugs around clothing that will happen in May at our grand finale party as we raise money for Rose Brooks Center at our shopping party. Hugs and smiles and caring hearts. 

 

Hugs and caring hearts - how they are connected!! It's impossible to give a hug without first opening our arms wide. Just think of it. When your arms are open wide, the welcoming, greeting, accepting hug energy just has to flow from fingertip to fingertip straight through your heart. Our arms have to open wide first before we can hug each other, before we can hug the clothes we are donating, before we can symbolically send hugs to the women in shelter at Rose Brooks Center. 

Goodness knows it's easy these days to want to close up. The political climate is encouraging us to do exactly that in so many ways. The negativity and blaming and shaming finds fault and lays blame on the most vulnerable. This makes it even so much more heart-warming to see arm-loads of clothing being carried into our store. In hugs that reach right across your hearts. Your deep, compassionate heart. Much like our earth is doing right now. Reaching up. Standing tall. Opening up. Reaching out. Embracing. Caring hearts.