Author: clfuu

In the typical Buddhist lovingkindness (metta) meditation, one meditates on the well-being of all. One starts within, and then widens the circle of concern outwards, first to people you love, and then to people you don’t know, and then to people who you have an issue with. Finally, one meditates on the well-being of all. Try it today.

May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.

May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease.

May all beings be happy. May all beings be well. May all beings be safe. May all beings be peaceful and at ease.

“As we have been blessed, so we bless one another to be a blessing. Breathe in, breathe out, this breath we share with all that breathes. Feel the love of the universe flowing through this community, into you, and out into the universe again. Let the love of all the universe—your love—flow outward, to its height, its depth, its broad extent. You are more than you know, and more beloved than you know. Take up what power is yours to create safe haven, to make of earth a heaven. Give hope to those you encounter, that they may know safety from inner and outer harm, be happy and at peace, healthy and strong, caring and joyful. Be the blessing you already are. That is enough.”
-John and Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

In the early spring months when wild food is not yet abundant, my daughter and I keep a birdfeeder well-stocked with seed. She has learned to recognize the communications of the cardinals who nest in the trees around our neighborhood. It feels good to feed the birds–it feels like we’re in a relationship with a community of avian neighbors.

What or whom are you feeding with your being today? How does contributing to another’s well-being make you feel?

Sometimes grace comes through sheer will, through persisting despite the odds against us. Sometimes grace comes from hanging on, from inching ourselves forward until we are somewhere better.

What do you need the strength to persist through today?

As you move through the day, notice where you see beauty. Notice how that beauty makes you feel. Notice how those moments of beauty–in expected and unexpected places–lift your spirits and fill your heart.

Notice beauty around you today. Where do you see beauty in unexpected places?