Grief and Gratitude

We live in troubled times. Like you, I am aware of so much suffering in Ukraine, Colorado Springs, Iran and Indonesia.  I grieve with them, even as I grieve with—and work to alleviate the suffering of—a member of my own family.

In one of my favorite meditations, we breathe in the suffering of others (starting with people we know and then including people we don’t know personally). Between inhale and exhale, we ask for an alchemical transformation, and as we breathe out, we send to those same people, love, peace, harmony. 

Breathe in suffering. Breathe out peace. It’s an action that always brings me peace as well.

This week of Thanksgiving in the U.S., where so many of us are grateful for so much privilege, let’s all do what we can to share in the sufferings of the world. Let’s all breathe in sorrow and breathe out peace.Let’s make a practice of welcoming and including both grief and gratitude, together, into our hearts and homes—and into the conversations around our tables.

I agree with Melodie Beattie:

Gratitude turns what we have
into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos into order,
confusion into clarity…
it makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.

If there was ever a time in our history when we needed to be informed by both grief and gratitude, it’s now. 

May we all make sense and meaning of our past.  May we enjoy and spread peace as we create a shared vision of thriving humanity and a healthy planet tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Blessings, from my heart and home to yours,

Melody Magdalene