I attended a Mama-Needs-A-Refill Mini Yoga retreat this weekend. At the retreat we had a silent break to meditate, read, write, and simply be, and it was during this time that I started thumbing through the book, Creating True Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh. After a weekend that began with such violence in Paris, violence and hate that I just can’t understand, I read the subtitle, Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World, and started reading…
True peace is always possible. Yet it requires strength and practice, particularly in times of great difficulty. To some, peace and nonviolence are synonymous with passivity and weakness. In truth, practicing peace and nonviolence is far from passive. To practice peace, to make peace alive in us, is to actively cultivate understanding, love and compassion, even in the face of misperception and conflict. Practicing peace, especially in times of war, requires courage.
I read until we started class again and then asked if I could borrow the book. I haven’t finished it yet, but it has drawn me in. It feels good to focus on peace, to breathe in peace and believe that one day there can be peace in this world.
Chapter three, Peace Begins With Us, reminds the reader that one way to find peace is through love. Who are you grateful for? Share your love with those people.
WRITING PROMPT: Write a love letter.
