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The Friday Affirmation

“Everything is working together for my good.”

Creating Peace

“Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be achieved unless we first establish peace within our own minds. We can send so-called ‘peacekeeping forces’ into areas of conflict, but peace cannot be oppossed from the outside with guns. Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world.” ―Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Thought for Today

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Believe with all your heart that how you live your life makes a difference– Colin Brown

Thought for Today

    “Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be acheived unless we first establish peace within our own minds. We can send so-called ‘peacekeeping forces’ into areas of conflict, but peace cannot be oppossed from the outside with guns. Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world.” ―Geshe Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

    Sometimes Peace Comes Quietly

    Peace doesn’t always arrive with fanfare. Sometimes it comes quietly, like a soft breath at the edge of a busy day. It waits for us to notice — not by forcing stillness, but by inviting us to rest in what is already here.

    Peace isn’t the absence of noise, responsibility, or the world’s endless motion. Peace is the quiet center inside you — the place that never moves, even when everything else does.

    It’s the moment you pause long enough to feel your own breath. The moment you remember that you are more than your to‑do list, more than the expectations of others, more than the swirl of the day.

    Peace is not something you chase. It’s something you allow.

    It arrives when you soften your shoulders. When you unclench your jaw. When you let your thoughts drift like clouds instead of gripping them like anchors.

    Peace is the gentle voice that says: “You are safe. You are held. You are enough.”

    Take ten minutes today to visit that place. Close your eyes. Breathe in slowly. Let the world fall away.

    Peace will meet you there — not as a reward, but as a reminder of who you already are.

    Peace Thought for Today

    ‘I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.’ – Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Peace Thought for Today

    ‘We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.’ – Dalai Lama

    Peace Thought for Today

    “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” —Saint Francis de Sales

    Living Peace

    I have been following internet coverage of the Monks as they walk for peace. Today they arrived in Washington D.C. However our walk is just beginning as we learn to not only walk in peace but to live peace. Focusing on our breath and surrendering to the sense of peace and calm is a continuing practice. A daily practice.

    Some of you know my husband Bob has health issues. I have found myself in the role of caregiver, for which I was totally unprepared. Doctors scare me. This comes from past experience. So I am being given plenty of opportunities to practice mindfulness right now, not always successfully. I sit in waiting rooms focusing on the breath — breathe in, breathe out. I repeat to myself may I be calm, may I be happy, may I be peaceful. We can also direct this practice toward others, may you be happy, may you be happy, may you be peaceful, or taking it further, may all beings be calm, may all beings be happy, may all beings be peaceful.

    These are not magic words that miraculously change the world. This is a practice, a way of being that is available to everyone, regardless of your religious affiliation.

    The monks have reached their destination. But the walk for peace has not ended. Instead of reacting to everything going on around us, it is up to us to continue to walk mindfully through this world, sowing seeds of kindness and peace. If you need help getting started do a search for loving kindness meditation.

    May you be well. May you be happy. May you be peaceful.

    Thought for Today

    “What we do is more important than what we say or what we say we believe.”

    – bell hooks

    Gloria Jean Watkins (September 25, 1952 – December 15, 2021), better known by her pen name bell hooks (stylized in lowercase),[1] was an American author, theorist, educator, and social critic who was a Distinguished Professor in Residence at Berea College.[2] She was best known for her writings on race, feminism, and social class.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks

    For more information on bell hooks please see the full entry on wikipedia.

    Thought for Today

    “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” Saint Francis de Sales

    The thought for today is one of those I need to write down and tape to the bathroom mirror. We live in troubled times. It can be especially difficult when we feel like there is nothing we can do to stop the madness. Sometimes all we can do is not become part of it. “Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”