Category: Love

The Greatest Lessons In Life Are Gifts From Our Greatest Challenges

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Think of all the experiences in your life that led you to this moment. The joys, the heartaches, the friendships, and the losses. Each one of them is a part of what makes you who you are today. But more importantly, who you will become tomorrow. Did you stop learning to ride a bike when you fell for the first time? Did you quit trying to do better in school, at a job, or in relationships when times were hard? How about your first dive off a high diving board? It’s all scary stuff, but you pushed through it all and learned so much about yourself in the process. You learned you were a survivor.

You see, that is why we are here. To learn the hard lessons. Earth is a cruel planet, and human history continues to prove this every day. It is the place where we, as souls, learn we can rise above anything. God provided one tool for us to succeed at this. Love. Not just the messy human love that is truly wonderful, but divine love. A love that has no attachments. A love that recognizes everything in existence is divine love.

EVERYTHING. NO EXCEPTIONS.

To have any success in human life requires the ability to face our challenges head-on. To recognize that they are not the end of our world. They are the stepping stones to a more fulfilling life. Each challenge we face provides us with an opportunity to discover the real reason we chose to incarnate on this most difficult planet. To become a Co-Worker with God. To be a channel for divine love. To fill our hearts with gratitude for even the most difficult challenges we face here.

When we face up to and conquer these challenges, the gifts we receive are limitless. For then, we can tap into divine love at any or every moment in our day. We have become an open channel for It. Those close to us see the change in us. They can’t quite find the reason why they always feel better when they are in our presence. All of life responds to this flow of Divine Love, from the smallest particle to universes.

ALL LIFE IS DIVINE LOVE. NO EXCEPTIONS.

God is love. God created everything. Hence, everything is love. When we become aware of this at our deepest core, life becomes simpler, richer, and more meaningful. All of life that surrounds us responds in kind.

It Had To Be You

Posted on by Joe Merkle

My shining light

When the setting sun slithers silently
When darkness dooms my daylight
And shadows slither into my soul
A satanic stain swallowing my sanity

I howl to the heavens
Imploring, inpouring spiritual salvation
Helplessly hoping for her healing heart
And her tender, tantalizing touch

It had to be you, my shining light
Lighting my way home to daylight
Surround me, secure me, my sexy paramour
Vanquish my villains with vigor

Then we’ll dance the dance that darlings do
Sharing secrets sacrosanct to just a few
To those who trapped a note or two
And share the sacred song of HU

Out Like A Light

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Making love in our dreams

Laughing, exhausted, and gasping for air, we both collapsed on the couch. Playing all our old albums we danced the night away. Memories came flooding back. Our teen years and college days when we clubbed the nights away. The moment we met. When we said, “I do”. The births of our children. All the unforgettable memories that forty-six years in a loving relationship bring. 

We must have said “Do you remember” a hundred times. And off we would go to another treasured moment that lay lost in our minds. Until the music played. 

She lay in my arms. Just like the first time, I’m still kidnapped by her charms. One of those unforgettable moments you wish will never end. I look into her eyes and say, “Damn I’m sore.” She laughs. She has the most contagious laugh. Eventually, our bodies remember to breathe. We manage to somehow make it to bed. Out like a light within minutes. Making love in our dreams. Reliving all our childhood schemes.

.

Each Beat Of Your Heart

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Is my life’s elixir

Each beat of your heart
is my life’s elixir
and your kisses impart
an unintended strip search

Your laugh lights the way
then you dance the pony
a reinvented sexual foreplay
so innocent and carefree

You’re a treasure with no measure
my pièce de résistance
an irresistible treasure
you are my soul assistant

The man I am did not exist
you rescued me from certain doom
with just a hug and then a kiss
you stripped away my grieving costume

I wonder at the innocence you display
how wonderful it must feel to know
that life is just child’s play
while you emanate a golden glow

Let it go, Joe, you encourage me to see
that life is love and nothing more
that there are no guarantees
then you whisper come to me, my matador

I fall deeper into your eyes
swimming in those blue lagoons
all my demons exorcised
each day becomes a new honeymoon

We sail in the cosmic seas
as we escape our earthly bonds
no longer concerned with analyses
masters of our magical wands

Grief Is Life’s Spiritual Band-aid

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Why do we grieve? Why would a loving God have us suffer so? What is the lesson we are to learn from grief? I know that everyone who has experienced grief has asked these questions. I will try to provide possible solutions to them.

We grieve because we have loved deeply. God understands we are eternal souls. God is not making the choice that we suffer from grief. We do that. We choose how much and how long we will suffer from the influence of grief. The most important lesson we should learn from grief is to be grateful for the great love we shared and the great love we still share. Love is eternal. We are eternal. Never stop sharing love, no matter what the cost.

Grief is a small price to pay for having loved. If you were given the choice never to have loved to avoid suffering from grief, would you? Of course, you wouldn’t. As potent as grief is, it is insignificant to the love you shared. Here’s the thing. You still and always will share the love. That never dies. Love is eternal. Grief is a temporary blip on the radar that fades away like a bad dream.

I was fortunate to have been born into and raised in a loving family. I have seen love up close since I was a child. I fell instantly in love the first time I met my future bride. The woman who made me whole. It caught me by complete surprise. That’s the thing about love. Great surprises await you when your heart is open. Though your heart may be breaking, it still has an endless capacity to love. Exercise that love muscle. Share with others the great love that still resides within you. It will make miracles happen. Love does that. The only restrictions on love are the ones we create.

Be open. Share love. Enjoy life. Life is eagerly waiting for your return.

© 2024 Joe Merkle

A Weird Space Thing

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Happened to me tomorrow

Image by Freepik.com

We’ve all been there—moments in your life that defy definition. This is one of those moments in my life, and I will attempt to tell this story. Many of you will think it is a tall tale. That’s okay—I’ll let you determine if it is. I firmly believe tall tales are sometimes more real than our supposed reality.

APRIL 8TH, 2024: The total eclipse of the sun…or was it?

I arrived at my girlfriend’s home in Northwest Arkansas on April 7th. We were both excited about viewing the total eclipse for the first time. The sky would be clear for this event. Armed with cheap “special” sunglasses, we ventured out to the front lawn to witness this cosmic event.

She lives in a neighborhood of heavily forested properties. I expect a bear or wolf to attack me every time I visit. I’m only half kidding about that. One never knows what strange creatures are hiding out in these woods. Hmm…I think a new book could be in my future.

The moment the sun disappeared and the day became night, I was out of body, timeless, soaring towards this heavenly display. I was no longer interested in this strange marriage of the sun and moon. Instead, my attention was drawn to Mother Earth. I felt the power of love like never before. In honesty, it was overwhelming.

Then, realizing the gift I was receiving stunned me and shook me to the core. This planet I was observing wasn’t just a big rock with all types of living beings on it. Earth was love. Everything that exists throughout the universes and inner planes is love. All of life is love and was created because God is love. We are love—not these human frames we toy around with in many incarnations until we realize what we are—soul, a co-worker with God.

The subsequent realization blew my mind. God learns from us. He needs us to trip, fall, love, hate, live, and die. Why? Because he learns and grows through our experiences the same way we do—like any good parent who discovers the greater meaning of love through raising children. And like any good parent, God is always there to help.

This gift, granted to me, answered many questions that hounded me for decades. Why is there so much suffering on Earth? Why would a loving God create such an environment?

Because we, as souls, never feel pain, suffering, or loss. We are eternal and have Godlike qualities. But just like a human infant who has no idea it is human, a new soul has no idea it is a child of God. Hence, we need to learn to be love in the harshest of environments. It is a crucial factor required to experience the immensity of love.

Since that day, I’ve contemplated this often. My life has changed in ways I never would have expected. I attract more love by simply being a vehicle for divine love. Like attracts like. I see every obstacle in my life now as an opportunity for spiritual growth, to trust in the process, and, to put it simply, to be more aware. My gratitude for this gift is boundless.

© Joe Merkle 2024 All rights reserved.

Making Love In Our Dreams

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Reliving all our childhood schemes

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/freepik

Laughing, exhausted, and gasping for air, we collapsed on the couch. Playing all our old albums we danced the night away. Memories came flooding back. Our teen years and college days when we clubbed the nights away. The moment we met. When we said, “I do”. The births of our children. All the unforgettable memories that forty-six years in a loving relationship bring.

We must have said “Do you remember” a hundred times. And off we would go to another treasured moment that lay lost in our minds as the music played our memories.

She lay in my arms. Just like the first time, I’m still kidnapped by her charms. It is one of those unforgettable moments you wish will never end. I look into her eyes and say, “Damn I’m sore.” She laughs. She has the most contagious laugh. Eventually, our bodies remember to breathe. We managed to make it to bed somehow. Out like a light within minutes. Making love in our dreams. Reliving all our youthful schemes.

Riding The Waves Of Grief

Posted on by Joe Merkle

The celestial surfboard that is love

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/wirestock

Grieving is Soul at play, or more specifically, soul surfing. As Soul, we ride the waves of grief among its crests and valleys. We immerse ourselves in the thrill of it and rejoice in the immensity of love crashing in upon us. As well as the overwhelming emotional pain that consumes us. We are tossed like ragdolls from our celestial surfboards, gasping for air as we try to survive the pounding surf. All the while learning to let go of fear.

Eventually, we become surfing champions, able to ride the waves to shore. We grow stronger having gained the knowledge and understanding of what love is. It becomes apparent to us we need to pass that love unto others. We all become grief counselors.

Grief is another powerful step for us as souls in becoming spiritual masters. Grief helps us learn the immense power and depth of divine love. It is incumbent upon us to share this knowledge. It is the reason why we exist.

Lover’s Poem

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Image by https://www.freepik.com/author/vkstudio

When we meet
We shall touch the stars
The little children will laugh at us
And to each, we shall teach love

And we’ll float on the soft summer breeze
I’ll carve our initials in the clouds
And in a fleeting moment
That which is not tangible shall succumb

And our love will become inimitable

We’ll explore the silver sun
And search for the silver man
We’ll mix the colors on the palette
And paint the world

Then we’ll say goodbyes
And no regrets will there be
Only happy memories we share
And our initials in the clouds

The Human Experience

Posted on by Joe Merkle

Is Just Scratching The Surface

Image by Freepik

89.9% of humans cry at birth. Noncrying after birth had 100% sensitivity for nonbreathing infants after birth. Taking this into account it is highly prevalent for humans to cry at birth when we survive it. 

WHY?

Because the physical is extraordinarily harsh compared to any of the higher planes. What simile could I use to express this? I’ll let you determine this. Think of the happiest, most joyful event in your life. Relish in it. Now do the same for the worst moment in your life. And that is nothing compared to what we experience at birth.

Now there is an important reason for this. The physical plane is where we as souls choose to visit. Why would we do this? There are multiple reasons for this decision. The prime reason is so we can burn off karma quickly, allowing us to attain higher states of consciousness more rapidly. Did you catch that? We made this choice. 

Why would we be that stupid? 

Because as souls we know this is just an illusion. This life is no different than a child playing with a doll. It doesn’t matter in the least what this physical body does or doesn’t accomplish beyond learning to become a vehicle for divine love. That is why humans struggle throughout their lifetimes. They have forgotten they are souls. A soul brighter than ten thousand suns. A coworker with God.

What happens when we become a vehicle for divine love?

The world becomes a better place. Not that anything changed. You changed. You see love all around you. And everything from the tiniest molecule to the tallest mountain feeds off this divine energy you share without even being aware of it. People smile more when they are with you. They become aware something is happening to them, but they can’t quite explain it. Without their knowledge, they become vehicles for this divine love. They may smile more. Be more loving. Enjoy the simple treasures life on earth has to offer. 

They spread love

Be that person

The rewards are indescribable