…We touch this truth: in the midst of our daily confusions, self-doubts, conflicts, and fears, we need support, reminders to trust in ourselves. We can trust. We were designed to journey through the full measure of beauty and sorrows in life and survive…The warrior in your heart says stand your ground. Feel the survival of a thousand years of ancestors in your muscles and your blood. You have all the support you need in your bones.~ Jack Kornfield
in our bones, in our open hearts, in the very fibers of our being.i need this reminder lately. i hope it resonates and is of benefit to you as well.~j
we must break the pattern and we start by beginning with ourselves.we must not be indifferent to the suffering around us, instead we must engage with love.
remembering our time is short and not knowing if we will wake up tomorrow, we should let go of all ill will. making amends where we can and forgiving the rest.
releasing our grasp, surrendering our desire to control outcomes.we can set an intention to do our best and to begin again, in the very next moment, in the very next breath. ~j
sitting. breathing. in this moment, i come home to myself. body and mind in union, with all life.
take a moment today to love yourself, to simply sit and breathe, to feel the earth beneath you, rooted and held. to feel your lungs fill with air, receptive and open. to feel the air exhale, with freedom and release. ~j
pain and sufferingsitting with a heavy hearti offer my love. ~j
as we look around us, as we listen to the news, the burden of this moment is heavy. Haitians suffering from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on August 14th. nearly 1500 lives lost and 6,000 injured with an impending tropical storm. these dear people can’t catch a break. panicked and desperate Afghans trying to exit as Taliban takes over complete control. the images at the airport are harrowing. we have failed them in our exit. so many who have fought side by side with our military, as interpreters, as informants. women will suffer the most, many who had hope, who were receiving or received education and prominence in professional fields and politics, burning their degrees, their documents, leaving no trace. if these events break your heart open and engage your empathy – good. allow it. allow your heart to feel, to love. let that love move into compassionate action.
for Haiti, i suggest Doctors Without Borders www.msf.org(please do not donate to Red Cross, they were criticized for not forwarding donated funds during the previous earthquake).
to assist in getting our Afghan allies out who assisted during the war and who are in danger of being locked away or killed, i suggest supporting the organization, No One Left Behind www.nooneleft.org please list any other beneficial organizations in the comments. lastly, please practice self-care for yourself and others. i’ve been doing Metta (Lovingkindness) Practice tonight. i’ve included a longer version that i have written in the second photo. ~j
it’s so simple, feels almost too simple really. to just sit and breathe. to do so without goal. to come back to something so natural, sitting and breathing. in our habits and patterns of being busy, of getting lost in or avoiding, we can forget to just allow stillness, to allow the opportunity for relaxation and natural ease and calm.
it is also something that we can have some joy in doing. it doesn’t have to be some epic journey to enlightenment. the simple pleasure of just sitting and breathing, of feeling our body rooted and held by the earth, feeling the calming coolness of air coming into our bodies, the release and freedom of air leaving. this can be quite enjoyable and peaceful.
there’s no reason we shouldn’t have this joy, this peace, this simple pleasure, which is always available. and with practice we can even tap into, settle into this feeling in all kinds of environments. it can be our anchor as Thich Nhat Hanh shares in this quote.
The Metta Garden 