Peace Hope and Love
The three rocks sit on the coffee table made by my son.
They have been there for years
and days go by and I hardly notice them.
But my little grandson picks them up nearly every time he comes to visit.
He has learned that he needs to treat them gently
And not throw or bang them down hard.
Today, as I return from the short walk my body is able to manage,
Even as I feel unwell and want to just lie down,
They catch my eye and a spark of creativity flickers in my weary soul.
So I reach for my iPad to write,
while I still feel the connection to words that want to be spoken.
I have not been able to write since Thanksgiving, nearly two months ago
Although I have tried.
So I don’t want this opportunity to slip through my fingers,
As it feels like so much is slipping away.
The oval rock is engraved with the word Peace.
It is what I wish for the world at a time it feels it has never needed it more.
My meditation reminds me that if I wish there to be peace in the world
It needs to begin with me.
So many days it is elusive and beyond my grasp.
And then, if I pay attention I take a breath and stop grasping and there it is
Peace, in a moment where my body feels more settled
In the kindness of a friend,
or a moment of warmth on a walk in the cold.
Love is my heart rock…small enough to be held in little hands
But vast and powerful.
It connects me to my brothers and their families continents away,
To my sons, whether or not they are physically present
And whatever is happening in their lives.
And to friends who bring love into action every day.
This is one thing I have learned, no matter how sad or unwell I feel
The light of love is always there, within and around me.
I just need to remember to trust it.
That brings me to Trust..a flatter and lighter stone.
It is harder for me to pick up now when my hands don’t work as well
And it is the hardest of the three, for me to hold onto,
In all senses of the word.
When I feel so unwell it is hard to trust that this will pass.
When my legs will hardly carry me it is hard to trust that they will tomorrow..
Yet Layne picks up the stone easily, and as he looks into my eyes
I know he trusts me, and that this trust brings love and peace to my heart.
I do not have the energy to write an end of year letter.
Yet I am grateful through the fog I have once again found words to write.
And I wish you all peace and love and I trust that this is enough.
Anne