#truelove #allowing #dating
Today’s meditation features a beautiful rendition of Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria” sung by the acclaimed Maria Callas. The song and poem are a supplication to the Virgin Mary for salvation “amid despair.”
Hymn to the Virgin by Sir Walter Scott
Ave Maria! maiden mild!
Listen to a maiden’s prayer!
Thou canst hear though from the wild;
Thou canst save amid despair.
Safe may we sleep beneath thy care,
Though banish’d, outcast and reviled –
Maiden! hear a maiden’s prayer;
Mother, hear a suppliant child!
Ave Maria
Ave Maria! undefiled!
The flinty couch we now must share
Shall seem this down of eider piled,
If thy protection hover there.
The murky cavern’s heavy air
Shall breathe of balm if thou hast smiled;
Then, Maiden! hear a maiden’s prayer,
Mother, list a suppliant child!
Ave Maria!
Ave Maria! stainless styled.
Foul demons of the earth and air,
From this their wonted haunt exiled,
Shall flee before thy presence fair.
We bow us to our lot of care,
Beneath thy guidance reconciled;
Hear for a maid a maiden’s prayer,
And for a father hear a child!
Ave Maria.
Equipped with phrasebooks, sunburnt skin and open hearts, they journey through the corners of the world, tasting new flavors, experiencing new cultures and maybe even understanding a bit of humanity along the way. They are pioneers of experience, expert walkers who enjoy getting lost for the hell of it, outgoing strangers always looking for a new friend.
Travelers have an insatiable thirst, an insistent itch, an inconsolable longing. Below, the 19 signs you may have an incurable case of wanderlust.
1. Your daily Internet routine includes searching airfares to nowhere in particular.
2. You have a love-hate relationship with inspirational travel blogs.

3. You’ve had at least one vacation fling epic romance abroad (or you fantasize about it).

4. The departures screen at airports is like your muse. Mallorca, anyone?
5. “Settling down” sounds way more terrifying to you than bungee jumping off a 600 foot cliff.

6. At the end of every trip, you seriously consider missing your flight on purpose just to stay a little bit longer.

7. You always know exactly how many vacation and/or sick days you have and when you can finally use them:

8. You don’t consider anyone a stranger; they’re just friends you haven’t met yet.
9. You’re always saving money for your next trip and you’re even guilty of budgeting airfare over food.

10. Few things irritate you more than people who don’t go through the TSA line efficiently.

11. Your wanderlust-ing personality has been misinterpreted as lazy or irresponsible, but you couldn’t care less.

12. You wince ever so slightly if someone calls you a tourist. Yes, there is a difference.

13. You absolutely adore maps. (You may or may not still have a world map shower curtain in your bathroom…)
14. Glamping is something that you’ll never, ever understand.

15. After all, you haven’t really experienced a place until you’ve been covered in its dirt.

16. This is your spirit animal:

17. While some friends post photos of sparkling diamonds or pudgy babies, you’re “that person” on social media who only posts photos of exotic animals, inspirational quotes against beautiful landscapes, and insanely beautiful sunsets.

18. You measure success by how many stamps are in your passport, not how much money you have saved.
19. You have no real sense of home — at least in the traditional sense — because you feel most at home when you’re far from your comfort zone and experiencing some place new.
