I Wanted It To Be Love

08/25/2026

Here is a moment of reflection I have been working on and working with in prayers with my Higher Power. I wrote this while being a patient at the University of Iowa Hospital. Being a patient has been a mix of anxiety and all kinds of overwhelming feelings. I have in my 54 years of being treated inside and outside of the hospital sometimes as an inpatient for 13 weeks or more at a time. I want to be cared for and cared about and I needed so many blessings - sometimes I had been just desperate for something good to happen until I realized that to be blessed, I had to be a blessing.

TO BE BLESSED — BE A BLESSING

The more we recognize how blessed we already are, the less we need to search for blessing—and the freer we become to give it away.

If we desire more love in our lives, we must be the love we seek.

If we desire peace in the world, peace must begin within us.

If we desire to live a blessed life, we must first recognize the blessings already present.

When I establish in my heart the truth that I am already blessed, I begin to see blessings I may have overlooked. I recognize love where I might not have noticed it before. I become more aware of the goodness surrounding me and more grateful for what I have already received.

Then I can move forward carrying that gift of love into the lives of others.

I can be a blessing by showing compassion to my neighbors and friends. I can inspire young minds to learn and grow by being a patient mentor. I can offer encouragement to someone who is struggling, extend kindness without expecting anything in return, and allow loving-kindness to guide the way I meet the people who cross my path.

Being blessed is not only about what I receive. It is also about what I am willing to give.

Be love.

There is no greater blessing than sharing the love of God.

— Jeanne Schneider Vargas

Photo image source is unknown.

08/17/2026

BE BLESSED — BE A BLESSING

The more we recognize how blessed we already are, the less we need to search for blessing—and the freer we become to give it away.

If we desire more love in our lives, we must be the love we seek.

If we desire peace in the world, peace must begin within us.

If we desire to live a blessed life, we must first recognize the blessings already present.

When I establish in my heart the truth that I am already blessed, I begin to see blessings I may have overlooked. I recognize love where I might not have noticed it before. I become more aware of the goodness surrounding me and more grateful for what I have already received.

Then I can move forward carrying that gift of love into the lives of others.

I can be a blessing by showing compassion to my neighbors and friends. I can inspire young minds to learn and grow by being a patient mentor. I can offer encouragement to someone who is struggling, extend kindness without expecting anything in return, and allow loving-kindness to guide the way I meet the people who cross my path.

Being blessed is not only about what I receive. It is also about what I am willing to give.

Be love.

There is no greater blessing than sharing the love of God. ~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas

08/15/2026

I Wrote this August 14, 2023:
ABOUT OUR MONKEY MIND AWARENESS. Remember when we are at our most vulnerable state of mind, our mind can get us stuck thinking about the past and worrying about the future. Our “monkey mind” can really turn us inside out. When you become aware that your monkey mind is stuck on something painful, gently remind yourself that’s just what the mind can do: get stuck!

Bring your awareness to something pleasant in the present moment. Note your tendency to ruminate and treat yourself as you would a dear friend. Be kind and compassionate to your self. Stay strong and move forward. ~Jeanne Schneider Vargas, MBSR mindfulness meditation Teacher

08/14/2026

08/10/2026

REMEMBERING HOW TO MANAGE LIFE’S CIRCUMSTANCES

Within each of us lies an ever-expanding reservoir of love—a divine love that strengthens us and helps us face life’s storms without fear.

The world around us is always changing. Nothing stays the same. Sometimes, when life feels especially cold or lonely, love can seem distant or difficult to find.

I have noticed that I feel most vulnerable when I am not well or when I am in physical pain. And yet, even then, I have discovered something enduring and real: there is an inexhaustible well of God’s love deep within me.

I remind myself to return to that source.

It is always here. I simply have to remember to reach for it.

This love is not only the nature of God—it is the name of God. It holds no resentment and no unforgiveness. It is the glue that holds creation together and the spark that awakens our hearts. Divine love asks for nothing, yet gives more than we could ever imagine.

This unconditional and fearless love is within each of us. Especially during times of challenge or uncertainty, I must remember to draw upon that strength within myself. And I believe you can do the same.

There was a time when I needed desperately to remember this.

I had been living with a complex heart condition for many years when my cardiologist told me I would need a CardioMEMS implant. I was stunned. I tried to think of all the questions I needed to ask in the limited time we had together, and the conversation became tense. I left the appointment frustrated, angry, uncertain, and afraid.

My fear was about more than the procedure. I had already experienced changes and losses in my medical care. At the same time, I was struggling with worsening physical pain and carrying another kind of pain—the heartbreak of estrangement from two of my sons, whom I had not seen in years.

I found myself thinking about everything that could go wrong.

What if something happened to me?

What if I never had another opportunity to see the people I loved?

Fear was beginning to manage the circumstances instead of allowing me to manage my response to them.

And then I remembered.

I carry within me a divine love that is unconditional and fearless. That love has been a source of strength throughout my life. I did not have to make the uncertainty disappear. I did not have to know what would happen next.

I needed only to return to the source.

So I reached inward, beneath the fear and beneath the pain, and rested for a while in that love.

And I found peace.

The circumstances had not changed.

I had changed within the circumstances.

That is something I continue to remember.

When the outside world feels uncertain, frightening, or even harsh, we still have a choice about how we will meet it. We can pause. We can breathe. We can pray. We can become quiet enough to remember the divine strength already present within us.

You can do this, too.

This love is not reserved for a select few. You can claim it. You can live from it. You do not have to spend your life chasing outside yourself for something that is already dwelling within you.

Wherever you go, love goes with you.

And when you live from that love, something else begins to happen. You choose kinder words. You become capable of more compassionate actions. You brighten your small corner of the world, sometimes creating ripples of goodness you may never live long enough to see.

Most of all, you discover that you can meet the circumstances that arise in your life.

You may not be able to control them.

You may not have chosen them.

You may not even understand them.

But you can choose how you will meet them.

And sometimes managing life does not mean fixing what has happened.

Sometimes it simply means remembering who you are, remembering where your strength comes from, and taking the next step from a place of love rather than fear.

Love for life, family, friends, God, and one another continues to sustain me.

My hope is that this same deep and sustaining love will fill you and carry you, too.

With love, Grandmas Jeanne
**~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas**

Photo: Lake Michigan from the grounds of the Siena Retreat Center, Racine, Wisconsin. Photograph by Jeanne Schneider Vargas, August 10, 2017

08/04/2026

FEELING FORGOTTEN?

There are seasons in life when we feel forgotten. The ache is real. But even in the midst of that ache, we still have choices about how we will respond.

I have known what it is like to live for years without seeing someone I deeply loved. I have grandchildren and great-grandchildren I have never held, kissed, or embraced. Some I have never even met. These precious people were once at the center of my life. Then, one day, circumstances changed.

Of course there is sadness. There are moments when longing rises unexpectedly. I could remain there and let sorrow consume me—and sometimes I have. But each day I gently choose, once again, to rebuild my life, strengthen my spirit, and continue walking forward.

When longing appears, I don’t fight it. I sit quietly with it. I breathe through it. Like a passing storm, the feeling eventually softens and moves on. It may return tomorrow, just as Mara returned again and again to tempt the Buddha. Yet instead of pushing sadness away, I acknowledge it with kindness. I let it tell me what it has come to teach, and then I let it pass.

My encouragement is this: be compassionate with yourself. Be gently curious about what is arising within you. Ask yourself, What am I feeling? Why does this hurt so deeply? Listen without judgment, but don’t allow sorrow to become the only story you tell yourself.

Sometimes people distance themselves from those they love because remembering is simply too painful. Thoughts of a parent, a child, or another loved one may awaken grief, guilt, shame, or unresolved wounds. Avoidance becomes a way of protecting the heart, even though it rarely brings lasting peace.

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges in our culture is that many of us were never taught how to experience difficult emotions in healthy ways. We were taught to hide our tears, suppress our grief, or distract ourselves from pain rather than meeting it with honesty and compassion.

So we escape. We numb ourselves. We stay busy. We run from what hurts. And in doing so, we often deepen our suffering.

Healing begins when we are willing to feel without fear, to express our emotions with honesty, and to allow sadness to rise and fall like the waves of the sea—without believing it will drown us.

We may not choose everything that happens to us, but we can choose how we meet what life brings.

Let us choose compassion.
Let us choose courage.
Let us choose healing.

~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas, meditation teacher

07/31/2026

THE SONG IN MY HEART
No matter what I am facing, I set my intention today to be love in action, sharing acts of kindness wherever I go.

I am keenly aware of the challenging situations that can frustrate me, yet I also welcome them as opportunities to call upon my higher self—a loving and peaceful being.

The more I practice kindness, the more naturally it becomes the song in my heart and my way of life, even during the most difficult times.

Today, I choose love.
Today, I choose kindness.
Today, I let my life become a blessing to others.

~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas

07/22/2026

WOULD YOU RECOGNIZE THE TRUTH? We live in a world where appearances can be deceiving. This old allegory reminds me that truth is not always comfortable, and sometimes it arrives without the clothing we expect. It asks each of us a simple but profound question: “Do I seek what is true, or only what is easy to accept?”

According to a 19th-century legend, the Truth and the Lie meet one day. The Lie says to the Truth: "It's a marvelous day today!”

The Truth looks up to the skies and sighs, for the day was really beautiful. They spend a lot of time together, ultimately arriving beside a well. The Lie tells the Truth: "The water is very nice, let's take a bath together!"
The Truth, once again suspicious, tests the water and discovers that it indeed is very nice. They undress and start bathing.
Suddenly, the Lie comes out of the water, puts on the clothes of the Truth, and runs away.
The furious Truth comes out of the well and runs everywhere to find the Lie and to get her clothes back. The World, seeing the Truth naked, turns its gaze away, with contempt and rage. The poor Truth returns to the well and disappears forever, hiding therein, its shame.
Since then, the Lie travels around the world, dressed as the Truth, satisfying the needs of society, because, the World, in any case, harbors no wish at all to meet the naked Truth.” ~ Author Unknown

I believe truth does not disappear simply because we turn away from it. Truth patiently waits for us to become willing to see it with open hearts and discerning minds. In every generation we are invited to look beyond appearances, to test what we hear with wisdom, compassion, and integrity. Only then can we recognize truth, even when it stands before us without disguise. ~Jeanne Schneider Vargas

Image: The world-famous painting- "The Truth coming out of the well" Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1896.

07/18/2026

REMEMBERING HOW TO MANAGE LIFE’S CIRCUMSTANCES. Within each of us lies an ever-expanding reservoir of love—a divine love that strengthens us and helps us face life’s storms without fear. The world around us is always changing; nothing stays the same. And sometimes, when the world feels especially cold and lonely, love can feel distant or hard to find.

I’ve noticed that I feel most vulnerable when I’m not well or when I’m in physical pain. And yet, even then, I’ve discovered something enduring and real: an inexhaustible well of God’s love deep within me. I remind myself to return to that source. It’s always here. I just have to reach for it.

This love is not only the nature of God—it is the name of God.
It holds no resentment, no unforgiveness. It’s the glue that holds all of creation together and the spark that awakens our hearts. Divine love asks for nothing, yet gives more than we could ever imagine.

This love—unconditional and fearless—is in each of us. Especially during times of challenge or uncertainty, I must draw upon that strength within myself. And I believe you can do the same.

Let me tell you what I’ve been walking through. Since 2002, I’ve been living with a complex heart condition. Two years ago, my cardiologist—who had cared for me for 18 years—informed me I’d need a CardioMEMS implant. I was stunned. I scrambled to think of all the right questions to ask in the limited time I had with her. The conversation grew tense. I left that appointment feeling frustrated and angry, unsure and afraid.

It wasn’t just about the procedure. I had already experienced the loss of my primary care doctor, who had practiced just 12 miles from my home. The loss was painful, and I feared the same could happen with my specialist. I didn’t want my cardiologist to think I was being difficult or uncooperative. And I was aware of how many doctors—especially specialists—are leaving healthcare today. Finding new care is harder than it used to be.

All of this weighed heavily on me. My anxiety about the procedure intensified as I dealt with worsening back pain and a deeper emotional ache: the heartbreak of being estranged from my two oldest sons, who hadn’t spoken to me in years. I feared something might go wrong, and I wouldn’t get the chance to see them again.

But then came a turning point.

I remembered: I carry within me a divine love that is unconditional and fearless. That love has always been my source of strength and peace. So I reached inward, past the fear and the pain, and I held onto that love.

And I found peace.

I learned that even when the outside world feels uncertain or even harsh, we each have a choice—to reach inward, to draw on the divine strength that lives within us. You can do this too. That power, that love, is not reserved for a select few. It’s in you, too.

You can claim that love. You can live from that love. You don’t need to chase it from the outside anymore. Wherever you go, it goes with you.

And with that love guiding you, you can choose kind words. You can choose compassionate acts. You can brighten your corner of the world and inspire a ripple of goodness far beyond what you might imagine.

Most of all, you’ll find you can face whatever circumstances arise in your life. And you’ll not only endure—you’ll persevere.

It’s the love for life, for family, and for friends that sustains me. My hope is that this same deep, sustaining love—this lust for life and connection—will fill and carry you, too.

With love,
~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas

Photo: Jeanne captured this image of Lake Michigan from the grounds of the Siena Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin – August 2017.