Guiding Thought

 May those who seek help others find;

May those who sorrow be compassionate;

May those who are lost, light a path for another;

May those who question or doubt give guidance;

May those who worry lift the burden of another;

May those who hide see their own light in the eyes of a stranger;

May we all give peace, no matter what.

Sharing

When doing the work of contemplation, meditation, or spiritual practices there is a slow, steady evolution. Small drops eventually fill a bucket; a lazy stream eventually erodes earth and rock into a canyon. The progress daily may be unnoticeable, but over time it can be seen and recognized.

If you are doing the work, however you are doing the work, take a moment to acknowledge your evolution, your progress. The shifts and changes you have made may be subtle, small occurrences that you may not even be aware of yet, but take a moment to know that no effort is wasted, and your progress and evolution are assured.

You are not the same person you were yesterday. Not quite.

As you approach your daily practice, as you continue on your path, the old seems to become new. It does not become re-newed, you do.  Thus your sight, your interpretation, your perception can be as though for the first time, seen with new eyes, experienced with new thoughts, interpreted with a new mind. Today you may seem to step into the same river as yesterday, but everything is different.

Take a moment to let yourself feel the subtle shifts, the gentle flow of the currents around you and within you. Subtlety is so easy to overlook. Nuances are easy to ignore. Take a moment to recognize and acknowledge them.

May those who stumble or falter give encouragement to others.