A time of remembering Peace on Earth begins with me...

Just as we enter the Holy Days in which our souls are trying to remind us that Peace on Earth begins with "me," it seems each week we learn about one violent incident after another! More notably, this violence is unprovoked and being caused by those who should be exemplifying Peace.

As a non-TV owner, I do my best to detach from the darkness of the news. Yet, hearing about some stories cannot be avoided. For years I have grappled with my desire to encompass myself with simplicity and peacefulness, while remaining aware of what is going on just enough for me to make clear and aligned choices for my life and my family. 

In 2004, my father's youngest brother - who was just five years older than me - was shot in the back and killed by a plain-clothes state officer. My uncle was unarmed. He was Hispanic. He had a mustache, as did the Hispanic man the officer was seeking, though my uncle was several inches shorter than the parolee.

I remember telling someone in my community about the incident. She was a white, well-to-do mom who simply asked me, "Why was he running?" From her frame of reference, she couldn't even conceive of how this kind of situation would not be my uncle's fault. I saw she was completely clueless, and it made me feel as if she had no compassion.

One of the most valuable aspects of my work - of connecting deeply with others in sessions with them - is I get to experience them in such a way that my compassion and understanding of their limitations (and their unwavering true essence) grows. Personally, I grew up with many human struggles. My family was laced with teen pregnancies, numerous abuses, mental illnesses and addictions, and poverty. In the last decade, I've lost two of my closest cousins to suicide. As a married mother of four, I endured six years of a painful separation from my then-self-destructive husband. As much as I wish I didn't have the heaviness in my biography, it seems these hardships have helped me relate to my clients and compassionately hold space for them.
 
More importantly, however, I trust that my experiences have encouraged me to strive dauntlessly for Peace... in the world, in my family, in me. 
 
As we approach the season when we try to sway from the heavily-hyped consumerism and re-kindle our inner light with the true Spirit of the Holy Days, I invite you to welcome in compassion and understanding. From situations you hear on the news, to the person who took your parking spot, to the homeless person at the street corner, take the time to bring them in to your heart. If you can do this for each person, whether "victim" or "aggressor," and feel (or imagine) his or her story, challenges, feelings, fears, hopes and dreams - even for a moment - then you will be creating Peace. It may not always be easy, but it's one of the most courageous acts you can do. With consciousness and loving actions, we can all become Peace on Earth. 

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