[blockquote source=”Jodi Picoult”]“It was possible that a miracle was not something that happened to you, but rather something that didn’t.”[/blockquote]

I watched a butterfly visit our garden the other day – his brightly splashed wings a perfect compliment against the multicolored petals.

When I was a little girl, I was so fascinated by the butterfly – who transformed the very essence of his being in the span of just a few, very short weeks. I suppose, in a sense, I fancied a new pair of wings for myself ~ checking periodically in the mirror for the stubbings of new growth.

We are so desperate for a quick fix…enlightenment in 30 minutes or less. And yet, when presented the ‘tools’ to engage our very souls, we immediately rush to turn them away.

We crave serenity, but are maddened by the stillness.

We desire intimacy, yet recoil when our hearts are first exposed.

We wish for unity, yet are separated by something as innocuous as the color of our skin.

And, so…we suffer. We suffer these wounds of desire.

The Buddha referred to this as our three poisons. That is to say, at the root of our suffering resides three destructive impulses – that of, greed, anger, and ignorance.

There’s a profundity to this human existence, and we’ve barely yet to touch it…to feel, and experience its many layers and depths, to know it in the most intimate of ways.

Like mixed media upon unpainted canvas, we allow our colors to build in textured patterns – a slivered glimpse into this masterpiece we call the divine.

And, just as the shadows may foretell of a foreboding darkness, know that they can never exist without this brilliant light.

The Buddha taught that must never accept his teachings out of devotion, rather, we should accept them by way of our own experience. But, what is it that we may learn from the experience of suffering?

We learn that the ‘way out’ is never to deny them, but to recognize if you turn them around, you will in time embrace the very opposite.

In the place of greed, you will find generosity….

In the place of anger, compassion…

And, where once existed a stubborn ignorance, you will find a new found understanding.

My loves, we find ourselves through our transformation.

This turning around of our suffering requires a tremendous leap of faith – one that causes us to break free of the hardened shell of our hardened chrysalis.

And that, my dears, is where the truest miracle begins.

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama once asked, “What is the meaning of ‘miracle?” To which he replied, “A miracle is simply something that is unexpected.”

My dears, it is only through these great leaps of faith – that we invite those miracles in.

Namaste, my loves ~ and here’s to all the magic that surrounds us.