I was so proud of myself for not watching any 9/11 coverage. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. Every time I turned on the television, it was tempting to get sucked into the emotion and drama of the tragedy. The human stories were especially difficult to walk away from because these are ordinary people who have been dealt an extraordinary blow. As much as I empathized with their ordeal, I did not wish to drown in the emotions with them. It made it much more difficult for me to stay centred enough to do the healing work within myself, and for this situation.
The day of was especially difficult. I needed to leave the house; but even then, the sadness of it seemed to linger in the air.
I had actually gone for an unexpected walk a day earlier along trails that are near my home. The sun was shining on this spectacular fall day, and leaves were crunching under my feet. A few leaves were starting to change colour, and patches of red, orange and yellow now dotted the mostly green landscape.
How could I not be in a state of thanks and gratitude? How could I not appreciate all that was in my life? That walk felt more a celebration of life than anything else; and the next day, when my daughter Sylvana and husband Alberto joined me along that same path, I couldn’t help but feel that we are given an opportunity to do so much with our lives; and offering the best of ourselves, not only to our loved ones but to all of humanity, is the greatest gift we can offer. This is the work I wish to do.
Today, I received an email announcing Peace Week, a series of events leading up to the International Day of Peace on September 21. I can’t help but feel that this is a reminder for me to continue along this path I have chosen, and to offer my unique brand of peace to the world. I hope you will consider doing the same.
Happy Peace Week!
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