Peace

Oh, my.

Pure bliss.

All three of us -- the dog, my husband and I -- slept through the night, uninterrupted.

Absolute heaven.

And then, this morning, in the closing chapters of Soul Without Shame, I got to read (again) about the joy of presence.

It helped that last night I had begun doing the reading for the courses I begin next week; the books are already inspiring and exciting me.

And then, just before I sat down to meditate, I was presented with this lovely offering from Rumi:

Do not exhaust yourself
like the philosophers who strain to shoot
the high arcs of their thought-arrows.

The more skill you use,
the farther you will be
from what your deepest love wants.

(A Year with Rumi (July 2))

With all that wonder feeding my soul, I was somehow able to release all the machinations and anxieties that have been consuming and occupying my mind for the last week or so and just relax into the present for this morning's meditation period. And blessing of blessings, I had 40 minutes of just ... being.

And so I share with you today another image taken last week when I was on Shaw. It's not perfect, but it is typical of the place -- which is why I love that island so. It makes me think of that wonderful passage from the Gospel of John -- 14:27 --

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, nor let them be afraid.

Peace be with you, my friends.

Peace.