Hello,
The past week has not been easy for anyone living on the Southeast border, especially near my home on Oak Island, NC.
Sending love to all those affected by Florence.
Sending thanks to all those who have stepped up to help in whatever way they can, no offering of help is too small. From first responders and linesmen, to neighbors checking on each other or friends making a phone call to others who they fear are alone.
I have the pleasure of working with Hospice patients providing massage in their homes. I love the work and the people that I meet. A few days ago, after the major impact of Florence was known, I received a message from a Hospice patient of mine. She is an 81 year old woman with heart disease and end stage renal failure, living on tanked oxygen, alone in a coastal NC town. When I first saw that I had a message from her I was instantly concerned. But when I read her message I was filled with her love & kindness. She let me know that she was safe and dry in her home but that her concern was about me! Was I somewhere safe? Was my little house ok? Did I need someplace to live? She offered her extra bedroom to me for as long as I needed it. And so it is, the glass half full, choosing love & kindness above and beyond her own struggles.
Thank you for this.
I know how challenging these situations can feel - where we have no control, and it is important to fully experience emotions such as sadness and anger. It's hard work and a lot of practice to come back to the place of the glass half full. As we look for a little light at the end of the tunnel, I'd like to share one of my favorite meditations that can bring you back, over and over again to the place of Loving Kindness.
I hope that this will bring you hope and a little bit of light today.
Metta Meditation. (Metta means Loving Kindness). Feel love in your heart. Using the following words, saying them out loud or to yourself mentally on a regular basis, is a wonderful way to send Loving Kindness to all people and beings.
This includes yourself, in fact we begin with ourselves.
Find a quiet place to sit for a few minutes. Feel free to read the words from this email, write them down or after a few times you may have memorized them. No pressure to do that, reading it is totally fine.
Begin by sending Loving Kindness to yourself:
May I feel protected & safe
May I be contented & pleased
May my physical body support me with strength
May my life unfold smoothly with ease.
Next think of a good friend or someone you love:
May you feel protected & safe
May you be contented & pleased
May your physical body support you with strength
May your life unfold smoothly with ease.
Now think of someone you do not know all that well. Your feelings are ‘neutral’. An acquaintance:
May you feel protected & safe
May you be contented & pleased
May your physical body support you with strength
May your life unfold smoothly with ease.
Then think of someone you dislike, someone you are having difficulty with:
May you feel protected & safe
May you be contented & pleased
May your physical body support you with strength
May your life unfold smoothly with ease.
Lastly bring all sentient beings into your thoughts:
May we all feel protected & safe
May we all be contented & pleased
May our physical body support us with strength
May our lives unfold smoothly with ease.
I hope that you will enjoy practicing this meditation. Please feel free to share it with someone else who needs it most.
I am feeling grateful for so much and am anxious to return to NC to help where I can. Stay safe and see as much light as you can.
Be Well & Shine On
Shannon