Remembering the Heart of Memorial Day
God bless the men and women who are still fighting the war in the Middle East and those who fight a war inside their minds everyday.
This is a subject that can’t be ignored – our inner wars must be addressed and remedied.
My dad served in Vietnam so Memorial Day holds special meaning for our family.
Whenever I visit my father at the VA hospital, no matter the time of year, I have two choices.
I can look at my dad and his war-related health challenges through the lens of anger, frustration and outrage.
Or I can choose to look at my dad through the lens of my heart and really, really see him.
When we come from our heart, we immediately access higher-vibration emotions likes gratitude, appreciation, positive pride and, above all else, love.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart is considered the emperor (or empress) of the body.
Think of the heart as the head of the household, the big cheese, the top dog, the big kahuna!
Like many men of his generation, my dad was king of the household when he was home.
Other times he was missing in action (M.I.A.).
A bi-product of war. My heart goes out to those who have a loved one that is M.I.A.
Then and now, my dad holds a lot of love.
No war has extinguished the love inside my father.
The men and women inside that VA hospital are bright lights radiant from within despite physical and emotional wounding.
Those brave soldiers know what war they fought. Their brave struggle, then and now, inspires a question the rest of us would benefit from answering.
As we march through our daily lives, how often do we get triggered and wage “war” using negative thought, word or deed?
So many times when we’re stressed and rushed (i.e., didn’t meditate, didn’t get centered, didn’t drink coffee), we declare war on ourselves and those we love.
This Memorial Day weekend, let’s contemplate more than beer, burgers and BBQs.
One of the many reasons why I love Qigong – and almost all forms of meditation and mindfulness – is the daily breakdowns and breakthroughs that happen when we look inside our hearts.
“You can’t heal what you don’t feel” is a truism particularly relevant when we look at things, people, places or events we want to be different.
The next time you want to righteously rage against rotten reality, take a moment to take a meeting with your inner ruler.
Don’t check in with the warrior king — that’s your mind.
When you’re upset, check in with your true ruler: your wise, loving heart.
Always remember that a giant step forward on the spiritual path is when we resist declaring war and spread peace instead.
Imagine.
This newsletter goes out to the men and women who are fighting the war that no one is talking about – whether the war is overseas or being waged inside their mind.
I pray for our soldiers’ safe return home to peace.
From my heart to yours, enjoy a Memorial Day weekend filled with peace, family and lots and lots of love.