These last few days have been for me, a dark night of the soul. Every belief I held, every truth I thought I knew, and every answer I had, have all been shattered.

And even though I was surrounded by people, I felt alone, abandoned and afraid. And yet, through all of it, I also felt higher, as though someone or something were carrying me, lifting me, loving me.

And so, this time, instead of running from the pain, despair and confusion, I embraced it and what happened surprised me. The pain, despair and confusion became my doorway to freedom. All sorts of insights and inspirations flooded into my consciousness. It was as though I had access to a different time and place and was able to see with new eyes.

I have been searching for the truth all of my life, in so many places. I thought there was only one truth, and that I came here to find that truth. I believed that if I went to enough seminars, and took enough courses, and read enough books, and did enough affirmations, that somehow, I would find it.

Enough, enough, enough, already! It was never enough. I was never enough. And now, I have found myself in this place, and I realize that ...

No one can tell you what your truth is, or how to get there. They can only soften the path a little. But if you are awake and alive, there will come a time when you will have to examine your own heart.

During this time, I thought often of Mother Teresa, and what a powerful woman she was, yet without the arrogance that one often finds in powerful people. She was able to command large amounts of money from everywhere and yet she was so humble. She didn't need to be the best at anything, she just needed to BE. Simple and profound. She touched countless lives and changed the world one person at a time.

I have an act of kindness section on my website and for the last 7 years have been putting acts of kindness suggestions on one of my daily pages. This morning, as I was thinking of Mother Teresa again, I sat down to my computer and these words flowed from my fingertips and onto the screen.

Whatever you do today, remember ONE thing. That in the end, all that really matters, is the LOVE! Did you seek it? Did you find it? But most importantly - DID YOU GIVE IT? Remember the LOVE!

And then, I knew that was the truth I was looking for. Remember the LOVE. Often in our quest for bigger and better things, we forget why we came here in the first place. When my father died, and I was sitting on his doorstep waiting for the limo to arrive to take me to his funeral, this was never more apparent. There stood his beautiful house and car in silence. He would never walk up those stairs and open that door again, or sit behind that wheel. But I could feel his presence. He was much bigger than all of those things. His love was there forever. It didn't die with him. The only thing we take with us when we leave this place is the love, and it doesn't matter if we die with a slim body and a fat bank account. All that matters is the love.

In remembering this, I came to know my truth. Perhaps we don't come here to learn. Perhaps we come here to teach. And the secret to success is in the love. Then, I recalled a story I heard about a woman who hated her job and was living a joyless life of struggle. Her heart was closed in pain, anger and resentment. She was working as a cleaning lady. One day, the old woman she worked for, put some music on the sound system. It was music that she and her late husband used to dance to. She was missing her mate terribly and longing for the gentle touch of another soul. The old woman asked the cleaning lady if she would dance with her. The cleaning lady was a bit taken aback at first, but agreed to do so. And then, something miraculous happened.

In opening her arms to the old woman, she also opened her heart, and the tears and the love began to flow. She let the love in, and in that precious moment, that love lifted her spirit and transformed her life.

Right after this incident, the cleaning lady's business started to take off. She received so many calls she had to hire a huge staff to accommodate everyone, and her company grew by leaps and bounds. The struggle disappeared, and everything that she had been trying to make happen came to her effortlessly, once her heart had been opened.

In remembering this story, I knew that I had found my truth.

The secret to success, and the secret to life, is in the love.

Once I knew that, I knew everything.

Copyright (c) 2008 Veronica Hay