Minister's Message
Dear Hearts, This month we focus on the fifth and final love language in our series on The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Several months ago, Rev. Ken spoke about the love languages in a Sunday talk. I decided to expand on them in our eNotes and relate them to Unity and our principles. Unlike the first four languages, I initially found it a little harder to discover the relationship between Unity and the
language of touch. Then I thought about the importance of always beginning with what we know. What we know with certainty, is that most Unity congregations, and definitely ours, are a loving, hugging group of people. We understand the value of physical touch. What our congregation seemed to miss the most during the pandemic was the loss of shaking hands or hugging. Physical touch restores, heals, and often centers people. Our prayer chaplain and healer Kathy Black tells us that hugging heart-to-heart (left side to left side) tends to strengthen a person’s energy. As Leo Buscaglia reminds us in the above quote, whether it be the power of touch, a smile, a kind word, or small acts of caring, all have the potential of changing a life. I believe that through touch, we often feel our oneness with the other. We recognize without doubt, that at the soul level we truly are all one—we all carry the Christ light within us. We are reminded of our first Principle that God is all, everywhere present, and within each of us. Through touch, we act on the truth we know, our Fifth Principle. Gentle, caring touch imparts the love that we are and were created to be. Think about how young children run for a hug when they are hurting physically or emotionally. Many of us remember our grandmothers holding us close, and how we knew the love they had for us. The touch of an animal heals. Janice Galloway and Diana Stockwell through Rx Pets, work with people and their animals so that they can go into hospitals and convalescent homes. They report how soothing the animals can be to the patients. My daughter used to work with disabled children. Her dog, Reily, became the classroom pet. When a child felt upset, he would sit by Reily and pet him or lie on the floor and cuddle him. Invariably the child settled and knew he could return to classroom activities. The act of physically touching a living being that the child knew was safe, returned him to a state of ease. It truly exhibited the healing power of touch. Author Harley King, quoted above, reminds us that we can feel the touch of God. When we are attuned and receptive, we feel God’s love touching us in every moment. Some people report a feeling of being held in warm, loving arms. Others say they hear God whispering words of love to them. God’s touch is always unconditional and only love. When the physical world feels unsettling, turning to the touch of God eases any pain. Let us use our sense of touch to experience this physical world in all its fullness and beauty. Lovingly,
Rev. Carolyn