I, too, believe with all my being that millions of us share a genuine desire for PEACE as represented in this picture, a collage of millions of us crying for PEACE, acting for PEACE, being PEACE now… This desire, this belief (be life) ignites coming alive… Together, may we all come alive and make mystory/herstory/history/ourstory/mystery as we breathe into being a world of PEACE…
peace in oneself, peace in the world
today as i breathe peace, as we breathe peace together, may we breathe in Alexis’ Letter of Peace written five years ago…
“I am writing to you from Montréal. On Friday, I lost my cousin during the attacks in France. Faced with this terrible news, I cried. Eric was the father of a little girl and his partner is due to give birth in two months. So many things are jostling in my mind.
I breathe in, I breathe out.
Eric, you were (and you are in my heart) a being filled with joy. I will pay homage to you by being joyful and mindful to offer joy to others. Today, I wish to carry that joy into this violence, this nameless suffering. You are an example, and I will follow your lead on this path of joy and openness of spirit.
I breathe in, I breathe out.
I have not given into the anger or the desire for revenge. Because it is anger and revenge that brought on these odious acts. Today, I wish only to hold those dear to me, and those whom I don’t know, in my arms and tell them that I love them. Only love will get us out of this circle of suffering.
I breathe in, I breathe out.
In losing a loved one, I am aware of what people go through daily, whether they are from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, but also the United States. Every day, people around the world are killed by gunfires. Today, I have the opportunity to join them, their loved ones, and send them my compassion.
I breathe in, I breathe out.
To hatred, to Mara and to all those who fall into it, I see you. You are nothing but an illusion and I will not identify with you. On my path of peace, there are no exceptions. Facing suffering, I observe and I let go. I do not oppose. I do not identify. I also offer love to these men who kill. Even if I completely condemn their actions, I cannot forget that they are a part of our collective suffering. I vow to work on my own personal sufferings, in order to lessen, in my humble way, our collective suffering.
I breathe in, I breathe out.
Today, people are speaking with one another, opening doors that were once shut, and are in solidarity. Even if this wave is only for now, I do want to see this presence, this support, this love for one another. I am sad that this only occurs in moments of despair, but I am happy to tell myself that it is always present. I vow to maintain this spirit of openness within myself and to accompany others to open themselves.
I breathe in, I breathe out.
I breathe in, I breathe out.
I breathe in, I breathe out.”
bowing to all peace co-hearts in this moment as we breathe and move to co-create a cosmos of PEACE…