I had a friend once who traveled to India to undertake the training of a yogi. He spent a year ‘learning the way’, strict practices – breathing, meditation, yoga – to engage the peace and light in his heart.

Though when he returned home, his sadness resurfaced; the pain in losing a child far too great. The house, now emptied and ready for sale, resonated with happier memories. The hallway where his son learned to walk, the mantel which proudly hosted his t-ball achievements – now joining in his sorrow.

“I realized then,” he later shared, “that the real work begins when we are willing to embrace.”

The path to peace isn’t a ‘one shot’ deal, my friends. Rather, it is a systematic and lifelong commitment to the beauty and fullness of life. To live deeply, we must engage all aspects of the human spirit – our upset, our challenge, the devastation of heartbreak.

Only when we explore the depths of our own brokenness can we finally begin to understand and ultimately heal. It is a day-by-day, living, breathing, ‘bandages off means to beginning.

It is the beginning of living without compromise.

Do we always get it right? My goodness, no. Though in time, we learn to break the cycle of our knee jerk reaction – to sit within the shadows of our own heart, and say:

“I’m here for you, love. I promise it will be ok.”

In peace…

Namaste ❤️