Nambe retreat

The Art Of Developing A Beautiful Mind
The Art Of Developing A Beautiful Mind
Second Reading
On This Day
On this day, as on all days, there are people I do not see who are suffering mightily.
Famine, violence, fire, movement of the earth, mechanical failures, powerful storms,
addiction, disease, human error, meanness, and other forces tumble about our planet
hurting and destroying lives.
Meanwhile, where I look on this day, it’s possible I will see smiles, a feast of beauty,
and open arms ready to receive me. I do not know precisely what lies ahead.
I have space for both suffering and joy. Today, if I can remember this,
I will be better equipped for my journey.
Acknowledging both the world’s pain and beauty, I can get ready to show myself—
appropriately—to others, which is part of being good company.
Container
My word would be “container.”
I think of a large vessel of water; flexible, fluid, expansive, like our lungs and our
our hearts.
deepest bow,
Moira
Daily Affirmations
Written by Molly Sharpe
for daily use, 2019.
First Reading
As I Am
Bringing questions and feelings
and habits of a lifetime.
Seeking relief from pain and
confusion.
Hoping for joy and happiness
and comfort.
Sifting through the baggage I
bring with me and see around me.
Looking for good and love and
kindness.
As I am.
Willing to hold hands to give
comfort and support.
Hoping to remember
not to spread shame.
Hoping to remember
to be tender with myself
and with others.
Third Reading
To Remember
I will move through the day looking for
sources of good, even as I traverse the
minefields of human suffering.
I will not expect to change myself, but if
I find a path to transformation, it will be
because I first met myself where I am. My
journey is in my own company, not in the
company of the person I may want to be.
As I look for the good in the day – for ways
to be part of spreading kindness – I may be
challenged by pain, emotional or physical,
or both. I ignore that pain at the risk of
becoming fearful or even hateful.
When sorrow, trouble, and pain accompany
me on my journey, by acknowledging them,
I can begin to make my way without their
strangling me.
I can say, “Oh, there you are. Now we will
see how we can move together until we
come to a parting point.”
Troubles, sorrows and pain do return,
sometimes for the same reasons, and
sometimes for new reasons. My concern
today is what to do in the here and now.
I am not yet in the future and don’t know
what it will bring. Old troubles, sorrows,
and pain teach me nothing, if I simply
allow them to whirl about me and
through me without honest examination.
If today should prove to be one where
trouble, sorrow, and pain are at a
distance, rather than pressing in on me,
I will seek to be aware of the time of rest
that is mine to enjoy.
There are times when the sorrows that
occur are so tough it would seem that
we can’t survive. And that may be true.
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