Hope.

Dear Friend, Tell me it's going to be okay. In meditation this past week after learning the devastating news about Ukraine and found myself asking, how do I continue in times of such immeasurable suffering? Is meditation and practicing mindfulness doing anything? Is it worth it? I heard this little voice within during my meditation sit that said, "I need to feel safe.” I felt her. I held her. I told her, “It’s going to be alright.” My daughter loves music. As the world would orchestrate itself around me that day, as it does for us all, she fell in love with a new song called “Cover me in Sunshine”. The song goes… Just imagine people laughing I know someday we will And even if it's far away Get me through another day Cover me in sunshine Shower me with good times Tell me that the worlds been spinning since the beginning And everything will be alright Driving through the city, my daughter sang to the trees as if she was on stage lifting people to their feet. Tears are running down my cheeks. I was thinking about all of us who will be smiling again. Even if it's far away, we will get through another day. There it was... Hope. The answer to my questions like, is this practice purposeful? Is it worth it to continue to teach and practice? Yes. Peace is real. Compassion exists. Kindness and love are here. We must keep hope alive. Our hope for peace, love, and kindness is not an illusion. We hold both realities, hope, and fear in our hearts, with the potential to awaken. With a courageous heart and at times a faltering mind, this week let’s look to hope as our guiding light. Keep going, friend. Don’t lose yourself in war and injustices. “If you lose your peace you lose yourself. If you lose yourself you lose hope. We’re counting on you.” -Thich Nhat Hanh May we lift one another up. Keep hope alive. Love you, Lauren Right now one of the most impactful things we can do (if possible) is pause, reflect, and connect with our values. Here is a 10-minute guided meditation to help regain your connection to a calm and peaceful mind. Easy does it. Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh, shared a powerful analogy when asked, “With all the madness and violence going on in the world nowadays, how do you keep yourself from losing faith in humanity and giving up altogether?” Listen to his answer here. |4-minutes| Inspiration: Hope, in all its forms. If you are looking to take action to support humanitarian aid consider donating to Choose Love. Insight: “Compassion is our radicalism of our time.” Dalai Lama. A helpful link with ways to support Ukraine. Interest: Hugging meditation. Learn how here. calmpoint.substack.com