Love means that I find your needs and wants as important if not more important than my own. Perhaps at first that sounds a wee bit selfish, but I am being honest. How did I know I loved Jeff? His happiness became inherently more important than my own. How do I know I love my dearest friends? When they’ve had a bad day with their kids and I’ve had a bad day with my kids, I’m willing and wanting to go to their home, rock-a-bye a screaming babe, and wash their dishes. Love isn’t losing yourself, but it is the daily crashing into other human beings and asking “Are you ok?” before checking your own wounds. And when I think about it, I guess I don’t really love that many people, not in practice at least. I need to work on that.
How do you love?
If you want to read a bit more on love, my dear friend Caitlin Boersma wrote a beautiful piece including a summary of a challenging talk by Jen Hatmaker on loving like Jesus.
Published by Magdalene A.R. Mastin
Magdalene is a pursuer of all things beautiful, inviting others into a life with steady integration of all they say, think, act, eat, love, and enjoy--hopeful for a more centered, peaceful existence, both inside and out. Today, she offers spiritual direction, movement and yoga classes, and women’s retreats, incorporating contemplative Christian spiritual practices, contemporary and authentic movement, and the ancient way of yoga (with a fun side job of lifestyle and commercial photography). Past students and directees have joked that there are few others in the world as dedicated to boundaries, intentionality, rest, and weird voices as Maggie.
Magdalene grew up on a small organic sustainable farm in central Indiana, raised in a family of avid readers, generous doers, truth seekers, and good food lovers. Those early experiences laid a great foundation for further mind-body-soul integrative training at Hope College (BA in English and Arts Ministry), Fall Creek Abbey (Certified Spiritual Director), and BodyWorks Studio (200hr YTT).
If she’s doing exactly what she wants, you will probably find her on a porch, patio, or beach, drink in hand, dancing away or chatting about life and love and happiness with all her people, especially her partner Jeff and their three kiddos.
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Magdalene A.R. Mastin 
Love. Period.
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