Will peace find you over the holidays?

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the trifecta of holidays that takes us into the New Year.

When loss has made your heart heavy, negotiating the holidays can be tricky. Of course, you understand the merriment and celebration. You also feel the loss of your loved one and that dims the brightness of the holidays. You feel distanced from the dinner-table conversations. And your heart may encounter a trip wire of memory from some seemingly innocuous comment made in the kitchen or the need for whipped cream with the pumpkin pie.

As you deal with the holidays and expectations associated with same, take very good of you. Go gently. Protect yourself. Say no when it’s needed. Be compassionate towards yourself; it’s hard to celebrate with a heavy heart.

For some, the best medicine is to bring your loved one to the holiday, conversationally speaking.  Tell stories, hold your loved one close as you remember their special ways. For others, a toast, a ritual, a candle add honor to their memory and significance to the occasion. We  never want our loved ones to be forgotten.

Take precious care. Perhaps, the following words will offer you a bit of comfort and hope as you deal with the holiday season.

Some dark windless night
peace will come.

It won’t tell us it’s here.

It will be there
when we look up

and see its face
for the first time

at the table
sipping soup,
passing bread.

~ Gary L. Lark

Some thoughts on peace

In honor of International Peace Day, September 21, 2017….

Ideally, peace is our natural state. More often, peace is hard-won. It takes lots of practice to find peace and lots of hard work to create, much less maintain, a state of peacefulness. When peace does come, it can be a blessing or a miracle. We can take a full breath. We are no longer conflicted or distressed. We have learned to let go, allow, and, most importantly, accept, even the unacceptable.

With peace, we reclaim the vital energy needed to support our life and future happiness. Peace is the root of all healing. Without peace, there is no healing, and we hemorrhage our own life force.

In our chaotic and fractious world today, we need peace more than ever. In our personal lives where there is deep grief and heartache, peace is the ache of our heart.

May this blessing lift your spirits and soothe your heart.

Deep Peace, Deep Peace
Deep peace, deep peace of the running wave to you;
Deep peace of the flowing air to you;
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you;
Deep peace of the shining stars to you;
Deep peace of the gentle night to you;
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace to you.
Deep peace to you.

—Traditional Gaelic Blessing

Resting in peace

peacerests

Make peace.   Find peace.    Rest in Peace.  Be at peace.  Give peace a chance.
Peace be with you.

Peace is part of our everyday language. The word is familiar. It conveys warmth. It speaks of an absence of war, conflict, and struggle. Peace rests in the geographic center of grace. Its voice is calm, tranquil, and serene.

When we are peaceful, we are no longer at odds with the world, our loved ones, or ourselves. We are not being defensive, nor are we playing the offense. We are detached and neutral. We rest in emotional and mental balance. Free-floating, we are nurtured in a sweet pool of equilibrium.

Deep peace to you

ARM hoshi moon in trees

This traditional Gaelic blessing is both meditation and prayer to me. The cadence and rhythm of the words moves me into a place of stillness and expansiveness.

In our topsy-turvy, fast-paced world, may I offer you this bouquet of soulful words.

 
Deep peace, deep peace of the running wave to you;
Deep peace of the flowing air to you;
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you;
Deep peace of the shining stars to you;
Deep peace of the gentle night to you;
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace to you.
Deep peace to you.

—Traditional Gaelic Blessing