As I listened to the audio on Loving Kindness I found that I went back to my Grandmother who has been gone for many years. She past on when I was a very young girl before I became a mother myself. However I found me thinking of her many kind gestures she would put fourth each day as she walked through life. She v=never complained of anything just continued to sew and back for us grandkids as if it was her duty. She always had fresh home baked cookies or something for us at any time we would show up at her house and she made us cloths that would make us feel like a million bucks. When I was asked to turn all this kindness to myself I was not sure I could meet her standards as a grandmother because know AI am a grandmother. This is very hard for me because maybe I feel I am not worthy enough to walk in her shoes, but then I remember a book I read called In His Steps. This is a very old book and it is talking about us walking in Christs steps and I realized that we are capable of all things if we just put in in our Saviors hands and let him guide us.
As we moved on to moving our thoughts to those that unpleasing and disturbing as well as those that are pleasing a welcome I realized that we can carry many burdens in life but we can turn them to a pleasing situation. All things happen for a reason because many of them we have no control over but with our loving kindness gesture and Gods help we can make them into a very pleasing situation and be able to realize that there are bigger and better things out there awaiting for us.
If we keep coming back to the stillness and peace and gentleness of our natural home we can revive our selves to move on and help others with their burdens and to realize that they can make good out of everything.
I am not sure if this is what I was supposed to get out of this exercise and again I say it is hard for me to clear my mind but I could tell that I did listen to the audio and try and take my mind to the place I was asked and this is what came out of it. I realize that I might be doing this completely different then others but it is opening my mind in may different directions as I work through the process of these exercises.
Hi Jackie,
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that there is no wrong way to attempt these exercises. I like that you were able connect to your grandmother, they sound like wonderful,heartfelt, happy memories. You are truly blessed to have someone so very special to emulate. I would bet that your grandmother is looking down on you and smiling at what a great job you have done with your family.
I really enjoyed just taking the time to feel the love. We travel through our days so busy all the time. I was grateful for the exercise to kick back and really enjoy the love I have in me, both to give and to recievee.
I am sure your grandchildren will look back some day and share their special memories of their wonderful grandmother.
Nice Blog my friend
Deb
Hi Jackie! It sounds like this practice was a wonderful journey to the past for you. How lucky that you had such a loving, kind person as a role model in your life. I'm sure that many of her attributes have filtered down, and your own grandkids are enjoying the same loving kindness that you experienced!! I sincerely hope that your journey continues to open your mind to new avenues on your path to human flourishing.
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Deb, that there is or right or wrong way to do the exercises. The important thing is to just do them and try to establish a consistent period of time in which you can do so.
You are not alone, in it being hard to clear the mind. I think it is because this is such a new experience for us if you will foreign, the more we attempt these exercises Dacher points out the easier it becomes to compete what they say is training our minds to be still.
I also like your analogy you stated "I realized that we can carry many burdens in life but we can turn them to a pleasing situation."
No one really knows just how many burderns in life we carry of our own, family, friends and strangers. These are tools that lend a hand to better cope with the burdens we do carry, with the purposeful goal of yielding a flourishing life, diminished stress, full of happiness, and joy which in turn offers greater health.
Well Done!
Mark
It sounds like your grandmother was a very special woman! Just having a person like this for you to focus on and have as a mentor (in terms of how you envision a life filled with happiness and unselfishness) is so beneficial and positive! Perhaps you might not do everything she did, but people show their love in gratitude in many different ways! Knowing that she did all of those things for you guys out of love seems to say that she found that last level of psychospirituality. What an amazing accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that having a positive attitude definitely helps make life a lot more meaningful and easier!