Peace
Peace of mind is independent from our physical condition.
I AM privileged to volunteer with men and women undergoing cancer treatments. When we meet I typically hear that they are waiting to be cured. Once cured they will be happy and at peace. I get that. I was once a member of this club. I know firsthand the fears they are facing and the desire to be cured. But waiting for something to happen is striving and striving is of the ego. Not of Spirit. The present moment is where our Divine Power resides.
I thank God everyday for my teachers and the insight I learned early on after my diagnosis almost 30 years ago! I was taught to desire peace of mind - not just cure cancer. I have been on this journey of learning how to have that inner peace no matter what is going on within my body or my outer world. And I found it! Meditation has been the single most transformational tool I have towards inner peace.
I have been graced to sit, listen, talk, cry, pray and meditate with women and men in end stage cancer. I hold hands with souls in hospice rooms. Sometimes there are no cures and yet these souls are filled with inner peace. How is that possible?
People who desire inner peace have this in common ~
We set an intention followed up by attention to have inner peace and take action every day. We set this intention EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. We take action EVERY.SINGLE. DAY.
We stop making excuses - the clocks run out and we work through the regrets of not having this awareness sooner and we get there.
We start the moment we walk out of the office or hang up the phone after getting the diagnosis, and or after throwing up, crying or screaming. We pull ourselves together. Something we can’t explain begins to take over within and we feel a sudden surge of resolve and strength we never experienced before. And, through the grace of God, perseverance and devotion we find out what this “mystery force” is. Life changing discovery!!
We simplify our lives because we get that the clock is ticking big time.
We pay attention to the company we keep, the places we spend our time ~ what we watch and read, the music we listen to.
We spend more time in nature. Suddenly we appreciate trees and notice more things.
We practice self examination, prayer, yoga, exercise, meditation and find ourselves reading uplifting spiritual texts at LEAST once a day.
We search our souls to practice forgiveness and let go of past disappointments and regrets.
We have a daily gratitude practice.
We prioritize time each day to laugh, to play, to imagine ourselves completely restored to perfect health ~
We leave nothing unsaid, when we feel love we share it. When we mess up we say I’m sorry.
We get our “house” in order. We read books about death and dying. We sit with fear emotions. We cry sometimes. We ask for help. We take our medicine and go for tests.
We ask, how can i serve?
We ask, what do I need to learn from you today and say, I’m willing!
We see our challenges as our curriculum to know God more deeply.
And, we practice trust. We trust we are never alone and live by faith. Sometimes a faith the size of a mustard seed. We still trust. 🙏
It all has to come from inside, though, I guess. Jimi Hendrix