Today, I invite you to a spiritual focus on Peace that encompasses this Memorial Weekend. Memorial Weekend in itself is a strange mix. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the solemn 'holiday' that honors those who have died in American military service. It is particularly meaningful for family members of those who have lost their loved ones, as well as those whose lives were spared through that sacrifice. Collectively, consciously or unconsciously, we reflect on the mystery of life, both grief and gratitude. Some part of us, consciously or unconsciously struggles with the nightmare of war. Over time, this struggle evolved to culturally shape Memorial weekend as the happy beginning of summer. Summer fun is often communal with outdoor gatherings, picnics, parties, boats and swim-fests, or, we head for the open road with a 3 day weekend of travel and get-aways. We set our minds to enjoying life. In a way, we honor the military sacrifices that have given us the peace to truly live. In missing that meaning, we can unconsciously get stuck in a shadow fear that whispers, "Life has (in the past), and does yet (across the globe), and likely will again (in the future) bring war."
I encourage you to shake it off, with a realization of Spiritual Peace. We cannot manufacture such a realization, but we can practice capturing moments of peace, giving those moments our conscious recognition. We can also catch ourselves in frustration, worry, or anger and learn the words, "Peace, be still." (Mark, 4:39) While I sat in front of the computer screen writing this, I heard a bubbling sound, and suddenly remembered my boiling noodles! I jumped up to rescue them, and almost lost a chunk that wanted to slip away from the colander. Not in the mood to deal with a mess, I maneuvered enough to aggressively throw them where they belonged, but it was a fight! I realized the dichotomy of fighting noodles while writing about the practice of Peace. I had to smile as I remembered Chogyam Trungpa's story in his essay, "Meditation in Action". He spoke of the process of reconciling the peace of meditation with the fury of discovering the rice boiling over in kitchen.
“One must not blame one’s surroundings, one must not blame people, one must not blame external conditions, but without trying to change anything, just step in and try to observe. that is real sampa, real contemplation on the subject. And when one is able to overcome the romantic and emotional attitude, one discovers truth even in the kitchen sink. So the whole point is not to reject, but to make use of that very moment, whatever the situation may be, and accept it, and respect it. " Chogyam Trungpa
We can practice Peace. We can experience Peace. We can let the Peace that we touch and that touches us, lift us. This recognition, this acceptance of Peace is not separate and apart from the "greater problems" of the world. We can even name it as our offering to the world, as it is right now, and in honor of those who have sacrificed their very lives for Peace. We each play our part in the unfoldment of Life. May this week bring a new revelation of Peace, (Susan Nettleton)
For poetry: https://poets.org/poem/soldier https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/B/BashoMatsuo/Summergrasse/index.html https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53900/making-peace