Tag: Peace

When We Did Not Turn Away

When we do not turn away, even the heaviest things can rest. Image credit: alexas_fotos via Pixabay.

In our Sunday Women’s Circle, we spoke to the elephant in the room. One by one, each woman faced the feelings churning deep within. Courage became our staff to lean on. It wasn’t only the fear of a world that feels unstable. It was the bitter taste of betrayal. Still, one at a time, we… Continue reading When We Did Not Turn Away

Rooted

There’s a woman seated in the forest, dressed in roots.She’s not trapped.She’s rooted. This morning, I woke shaking.My body remembering.Stories in the world tapping on old doors. “No. Not this again.”I cried.When will it end? For a moment, I wanted the memories gone — erased, buried, finished once and for all. But wanting them gone… Continue reading Rooted

A Doorway, Not a Wound

A short while ago, someone posted something on social media that felt unkind to me.It was a slanted half-truth — just enough distortion to sting. I don’t know this person well. I suspect they were moving from their own unresolved pain. Still, it hurt. It was passive-aggressive. Aimed. And I found myself asking the old… Continue reading A Doorway, Not a Wound

Victim and Villain: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Stone by stone, we learn how to stand.

The pain is part of my story — but it is not the story. It was my usual Thursday morning session, sitting with my trusted friend and Zen therapist. Once again, I was sharing the tragedy I believed was my life. Even though he’d heard my story countless times, he listened with deep, loving compassion.… Continue reading Victim and Villain: Two Sides of the Same Coin

What Does it Mean to Walk Peace Into the World — In a Kitchen, In a Sentence, In a Breath?

You are not an observer, you are a participant. ― Thich Nhat Hanh

No, I’m not walking 2,300 miles. But I am walking — through grief, through illness, through fear, through change, through truth-telling, and through writing. Each step becomes a meditation. With each step, I breathe, reminding myself: I am here. I belong. I am safe. In this way, even the smallest movement becomes a quiet prayer… Continue reading What Does it Mean to Walk Peace Into the World — In a Kitchen, In a Sentence, In a Breath?

Why We Cry

Nothing to do

I have the flu, the kind of flu where my body aches with relentless pain, I cannot keep anything down, and getting out of bed takes all the energy I can muster. So, I sleep. And when sleep isn’t possible, I watch endless videos of the monks’ 2300-mile Walk for Peace. And I cry with… Continue reading Why We Cry