Book Note Quotes on Mary Pipher's "Seeking Peace"

Baby picture is of Payton, my great-neice, (Lois' grandaughter, Megan's first born) who is love and light and joy...

Here are some of the quotes from "Seeking Peace" that I couldn't help recording:

"Since the beginning of human time, we have yearned for peace in the face of death, loss, anger and fear. In fact, it is often trauma that turns us toward the sacred and it is the sacred that saves us."

"When we learn to face our pain and the pain of others, we start flourishing. The opposite of despair is not a surcease of despair. (Sorrows are all around us.) Rather, it opposite is an explosion of liveliness and joy ... Love and light exist deep within us, waiting for us to welcome them into our consciousness and share them with all we meet."

"Meditation helped me stay with my own experience and not censure upsetting information. Instead of being utterly entangled in my thoughts and feelings, I learned to note them without judging them."

And here is my favorite:

"We all share similar journeys. We live through childhoods filled with ups and downs. We share houses with people who both love us and make us miserable. We pass developmental milestones, build identities and see them change. We fail miserably and we accomplish important goals. We make the best of it. We take turns being the afflicted and the comforter. We experience a crisis and realize our old ways are not working. We stumble around lost and unhappy, only to see the light, find our path and move forward. This is our universal human story."

Life May Bring a Great Deal of Sadness

Here's a piece of mine that I had forgotten.
Written August 14th 2002,
after my sister Lois took me, mom, and Megan
to the circus.

Life may bring a great deal of sadness.
Do not be ashamed to feel it.

Remember that Life is a circus.

Some may not love you. The ones you love, will.
Loving and being loved may not be enough.

Find your rhythm,
Dance, Sing, Paint, Write, or Serve.
Or all of the above.
And take time to be.

Treat others with tenderness.

Following these and other worthy precepts
will not always make the path easier,
just more worthwhile.

Most of all, remember: You are loved.
Your creator loves you.
Many people love you.
I love you.

Dear God

I got this as an email, so you may have already seen it.
I love it so much I wanted to share it with you here.


A good reminder that there is kindness in the world.
snopes.com <http://snopes.com/> says it's a true story.

There is a God in the Post Office.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died,
my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how
much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God
so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told
her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with
you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me
have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to
swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You
will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith.
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith
and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it.
Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope
because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the
way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at
the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the
letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front
porch addressed, `To Meredith,' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith
opened it.
Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped
to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in
its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of
Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays
in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our
bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so
I am sending it back to you in th is little book for you to keep and
have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping
you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have.
I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love,
God