Wednesday I went to Washington
D.C. for the 1st time. My friend and I visited the Lincoln Memorial
first. I stood in awe of what seemed
like a ‘temple’ to the idea of freedom for all.
It was beautiful and sacred.
We admired the reflecting pool with the Washington Monument
at the other end (still in scaffolding being repaired after last year’s
earthquake), then walked over to the Vietnam Memorial. I’ve seen pictures on TV and online, but I
wasn’t prepared for how long it was. I saw old men in wheelchairs proudly
wearing their uniforms and others my age in tears. I saw parents or grandparents making rubbings
of names and young children looking at all the memorial pieces (pictures,
crosses, flowers, etc.) that lay in front of the wall. I could hear
conversations between the volunteers who were looking up names for people and
what section they would be in, and stories of brothers and fathers.
With each step I took, I went more and more into overwhelm. This
is my generation’s war. Where was the
freedom? Over 58,000 names are on that
wall. That is incomprehensible. My mind then jumped to the thought that for
every name on that wall there’s at least one Vietcong man, woman or child who
also died. Why? Maybe I will never know. Can I let that be OK?
How do I reconcile these feelings with the metaphysical idea
that “everything is for the highest good?”
Perhaps this is where Trust comes in. I can do nothing about what happened in the
past. I can only work for the highest
peace NOW. I can only do that by attaining
and maintaining a peaceful consciousness within myself.
It is the same with every situation in our lives. We can do nothing about the past except let
it be. In this moment, we can forgive
and love again. Forgive and live
again. Forgive and let others live. We can be compassionate with ourselves and
others. It’s all up to us.
I now see that the overwhelm of Wednesday moved me into a
greater desire to be the very best person I can possibly be – for them, and for
all of life. I come back to the place
where all I see is God.
AFFIRMATIVE PRAYER
Gratefully I acknowledge the Presence of The Divine as being
in everything, everywhere. I see It is
in war as much as It is in peace. It is
in me no matter what I am feeling. I
choose to recognize and claim that aspect of The Divine that is Love. This is what God is, and God being all, this
is what I am as well.
I forgive myself for my judgmental and war like thoughts. I
choose to be more mindful from this moment on.
I stand on a firm foundation of Peace.
I let myself be a center of Love where peace radiates out without limits
of any kind.
I stand for all of humanity experiencing itself as Divine,
no matter what we’ve done, and I see us transformation of all that energy of
the past into something constructive and peaceful and good.
Gratefully I release these words, knowing they are so, and
so It is.
