Offering Peace

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

It's been a week, hasn't it ? Emotions are gut-wrenchingly raw, fear is on the rise, tolerance, love, empathy and compassion seem to be in short supply. We grieve collectively, and yet...

Our grief, fueled by overwhelming fear, and rage, has the power to turn us so very quickly against each other, rather than toward each other, toward something else, something gentler, something braver, something so much stronger. We can quickly lose our breath, and our sense of direction, in the wake of tragedy. We can forget who we are, and what we believe in. Fear, and rage, can have a kind of amnesiac effect on us all. It sweeps us away like the tide. We bicker, we shame, we dehumanize others who do not see the issues involved like we do. We hurt.

Here's the thing; no one ever said this emotional and spiritual journey was going to be easy. It's at times messy, chaotic, painful, frightening and requires copious amounts of courage. In this time of cultural turmoil I would gently ask the following...What if we all took a collective deep breath? What if we paused before replying? What if we made a conscious choice to offer everyone (and yeah I mean everyone) peace, love, and friendship, instead of daggers and sharp tongues? What if we remembered to recognize the beauty surrounding us in spite of it all in an effort to keep us from tipping over? What if we were willing to really see others, to really hear others? What if we truly listened to each other with an open heart and mind? What if we chose to simply begin here...we're all hurting. We're all dazed. We all want peace & love. We're all staggering down this twisted road together, whether we know it or not. And if we begin THERE how could we not lean in on each other instead of standing against each other? How could we not offer others the love and peace we desperately seek? Because this is a sacred truth: being loving, empathic, compassionate and generous of spirit and mind matters little when the going is easy, when there's nothing on the line. It matters here, in the heart of despair. It matters now. Let us be brave. Let us strive to be our best, most loving, courageous self right here, right now.

I offer you love, and peace, and friendship. I see you. I feel your feelings.

I hear your need.

Me too...

Peace & Love Always

Xo, Beth