"How we are loved" is a very human, very personal spiritual exploration that examines the inherent desire to believe that Someone Greater loves us, is in control, cares - when everything around us points to the contrary. It delves deeply into the violent and unconscionable events that fill each newscast and would seem to indicate that there is no "cosmic parent" who cares at all. It journeys back to the most ancient roots of religious belief to look at the feminine and masculine aspects of deity, while raising many questions. Are we on our own, and if so, why do we find belief in deity represented in prehistoric paintings on cave walls and proclaimed on the internet? Is deity as real and as close as the earth beneath us, or is it eternally illusive, a fairytale we tell ourselves out of fear or longing? These poems celebrate the human search for more, while taking comfort in the tangible beauty of earth that cushions the blows, regardless of where it came from. "How we are loved" rejoices in our ability to look beyond pain and sorrow to find somewhere in those shadows the God/Goddess of our own understanding.