July 31

PATIENCE MONTH: DAY 31: “In the path of compassion our patience, resilience and endurance are often challenged. Sometimes we may fail but we have to stand up again because ultimate joy of compassion is immeasurable for us and the whole world.” ― Amit Ray

I am on the path of compassion…mostly for myself. I am not yet sure I can offer compassion to the world, although I do offer a great deal of empathy. I can sit with a lot of empathy for others. I can feel their pain as if it were mine.

But a funny thing has happened since I began this journey. Rather than feel sad because of their pain, I feel a sort of exhilaration…weird, huh? It is because I already know how healed they will become on the other side.

I have lost that sense of sympathy, which is what I always felt before. I still feel empathy which is an identification with their pain. But I am not sad for them. I am happy. We all grow through the pain we are willing to sit with and FEEL.

This is an amazing thing. I don’t have to hang onto it or talk about it, just BE with it. It is a personal thing. It doesn’t belong in discussion at meetings, or on FB, or any other public forum. It is personal and real, if I let it BE.

Let it BE…thanks John Lennon…this is such a great phrase…and so true. So, compassion is my ability to now sit with my pain and your pain and not try to fix it or anything. Just love it for what it comes to teach. And teach it always does, if it is met with this intention and in this way.

I love this life! I love that I could not imagine (thanks again John Lennon!) what I was going to write about with patience this morning, but when I grabbed this quote, the idea of compassion had shifted since the last time I wrote about it.

I love that! I get to be here, with all of you, and writing about concepts that have grown and deepened since I saw you last….yesterday! What???? Crazy, huh? Yeah, that is this life…that is this life of walking around like a crazy person with my heart open wide and unafraid of what is going to happen next. It really does astonish me quite often!

This truly has become the JOY OF COMPASSION. I am so happy I took this time to be patient with the learning that needed to happen here, with me, for me, through me. I hope you get to feel it too!