Sunday, March 27, 2005

It's your life

Happy Easter everyone!

As you know, I've posted a number of excerpts from that wonderful little book Find a Quiet Corner by Nancy O'Hara. Today I'm offering a little passage she has entitled, "It's Your Life". It seems to address what I'm sure many of us are thinking about on this day of renewal and victory. I so love the emphasis on the present moment. No matter what is going on, no matter what we are concerned about or speculating about, a return to the present moment will bring stability and peace of mind.

Here's the passage:

Some people believe that if we make a mess of this life, we'll have another chance to get it right in the next one. Others believe that we have but one life and don't get another chance. Still others believe that we'll be rewarded or punished in the afterlife for our behavior in this one. Whatever you believe is true about your future, you would probably agree that all we can be completely sure of is the present moment. This is it!

Here you are, in this life, in your life, in this moment. Why not do the best you can with what you have now? Treating yourself well in the present rewards you and the people around you immediately. If the rewards extend beyond this moment, so much the better. A quiet corner will be the perfect nurturing ground for reaping the rewards of your life, now or later.

I really recommend that you get this little book and keep it where you meditate. You can open it at random (because it's organized in short passages) and read a little something to inspire or reassure or motivate you right before you do your sitting practice. I have benefited from it enormously.

May this day be a day of great joy for everyone.

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