Reposted from February 5, 2024
My Heart
For the holidays this year Bob gave each of us in our family a gemstone heart and a satchel to carry it in. He talked to us about the energy given and received from the gemstone and his intention with the gifts. For him, it was a way to stay connected with those he loved.
Mine is in my purse in its satchel. I take it out in traffic, parking lots, and when I enter and leave my car. I hold it in church and when I am waiting for appointments. I hold it when I am a passenger on trips. Recently I have found myself thinking about it when it is not on me or with me. I hesitate to put it in my pocket since I don’t have pockets in all of my outfits nor do I wear the same outfit each day. I don’t wear a lot of jewelry although I have thought about wearing gemstones from time to time. I probably am starting down that road now.
What I have noticed about myself with the heart in my hand is that I am focussed on its presence and its energy. I am more calm and think with clarity about how I can generate the love and compassion I wish for in my life. I think about showing more compassion to folks who might walk past me or greet me. I think about healing and forgiveness and find myself praying more for both. I think about how I can be more peaceful and champion peace in my encounters each day.
I think this month I am going to set my intention more on justice and equity. Blessed be.
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.
What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale. Clarissa Pinkola Estes
~Lydia Patrick
