Our Prayers Go Out to Them!!

As we in America come closer to the celebration of our Independence Day, my heart goes out in aching prayer to ALL those who are suffering and have suffered throughout this world. As I think of all the pain and heartache that so many millions of families are going through worldwide at this moment, I can only lift them up in prayer that their pain might be lessened and violence and division healed. I remember a text book we used in my Christian Anthropology Class-- "Violence Unveiled," by Gil Bailie, a New York Times Best Seller, used as a Grad School textbook. As I remember those classes, once again, I am reminded of the prayer of Francis of Assisi--"Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me!" May each of us bring peace to our little corner of the world so that like the little pebble thrown into the ocean, our ripples of peace may reach out to the ends of the earth. May we truly learn to "Love our neighbors AS we love ourselves." For until we truly learn to love and accept ourselves, "warts and all", we can never learn to love and accept others, "warts and all".

Yesterday is gone forever.Tomorrow may not come. Live Fully each moment today. Look for Good Things that Happen to you Every Day.

For those of us in America, our holiday celebration has come and gone. However the pain and suffering worldwide has not come and gone. No matter the country, at the core, these are all human beings with human emotions of love for family members, fear, the desire to love and be loved, to be respected as human beings. As Solomon mentioned in one of his posts, the more he realizes all the pain in the world, the more he sees how much he is blessed.

In the midst of that sense of being blessed, may each of us in our expression of gratitude, share the pain of the world by following one of Pema Chodron's concepts:

"This kinship with the suffering of others, this inability to continue to regard it from afar, is the discovery of our soft spot, the discovery of bodhichitta. Bodhichitta is a Sanskrit word that means "noble or awakened heart." It is said to be present in all beings. Just as butter is inherent in milk and oil is inherent in a sesame seed, this soft spot is inherent in you and me. . . .

Whenever we encounter suffering in any form, the tonglen instruction is to breathe it in with the wish that everyone could be free of pain. Whenever we encounter happiness in any form, the instruction is to breathe it out, send it out, with the wish that everyone could feel joy. It's a practice that allows people to feel less burdened and less cramped, a practice that shows us how to love without conditions. . . . ."

May we all breathe in and share the pain of others and breathe out our being blesssed so tremendously on all those in pain.

Yesterday is gone forever.Tomorrow may not come. Live Fully each moment today. Look for Good Things that Happen to you Every Day.

I bless all world leaders in their wisdom and peacemaking qualities.
 
I bless all suffering beings in their wholeness and healing.
 
J 

Love is the only way