Food for the Soul | March 25th, 2020

3/25/2020

Dear Friends,

In these anxiety-ridden times it is important that we practice self-care and self-compassion, that we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and humble, and that we increase in faith and love. May these small contributions nourish our souls.

A PRAYER   –   A PRACTICE   –   A POEM

A PRAYER 

Psalm 106 – Excerpt 2

Awaken us to the Oneness of all things,To the beauty and truth of Unity.May we become aware of theinterdependence of all things,And come to know You in everything,And all things in You.For as we attune to your Presence within us,we know not separation,and joy becomes our dwelling place.

Nan Merrill, Psalms for Praying

A PRACTICE

Recognize your unity with others. As we are instructed on how to navigate our daily lives and minimize the risks to ourselves and others during the pandemic, one truth becomes clear: We are all in this together. What each of us does — and doesn’t do — can have an impact upon the spread of the virus. No matter what our own health situation is, we are connected with the familiar and the stranger, the strong and the vulnerable. This is what Belleruth Naparstek in Your Sixth Sense describes as a “place of empathic attunement. It’s about seeing the connections, the interlocking webs of energy among people and things, and residing as much as possible in that place of no separation.” At the end of each day, spend a few minutes in self-assessment, identifying those moments when you were reminded most forcefully of your connection with others.

Make a point of consciously imagining each person you meet as your own brother or sister — someone whose well-being, safety, health, and happiness you deeply care about. See how this changes your perspective and willingness to offer kindness and compassion. Also, notice how this changes the nature of the relationship.

— Donald Altman in The Mindfulness Code

 A POEM

 The Way It Is 

One morning you might wake up
To realize that the knot in your stomach
Had loosened itself and slipped away,
And that the pit of unfilled longing in your heart
Had gradually, and without your really noticing,
Been filled in – patched like a pothole, not quite
The same as it was, but good enough.

And in that moment it might occur to you
That your life, though not the way
You planned it, and maybe not even entirely
The way you wanted it, is nonetheless –
Persistently, abundantly, miraculously –
Exactly what it is.

Lynn Unger, in Poetry of Presence, Phillis Cole-Dai and Ruby R. Wilson, Editors