Welcome to the Peace Nurturing Practice (PNP) of giving and receiving.

The importance of this practice became clear to me through a small, heavy box that arrived in the mail.  While struggling to open the tightly wrapped package, I played a guessing game with myself: “this small package is too heavy to be a book, too undersized to be a steppingstone, and most unlikely to be a bar of gold. What can it be?” My guesses gave way to laughter and delight as I discovered 28 stones that had been meticulously transformed into “Peace Rocks” by my friend Joanie who had painted symbols representing peace and love on the stones.

I have been putting out Peace Rocks in front of my house for a few years now.  The idea of doing so was a gift from my friend Nancy, as were the words, “Take the rock you need today” which I printed on simple sign and placed behind the rocks.  Over time, the peace rocks became so popular, I could not keep up with the demand and ran out of rocks to give away.  Receiving Joanie’s gift blessed me with joy and allowed me to continue giving for others to receive. 

Giving and receiving are intrinsically joined are for one requires the other and they flow in an endless cycle of mutual benefit. One of my favorite practices is an example of giving and receiving: first, consciously receive the gift of peace with each in breath, and then mindfully breathe out the gift of peace to others on each out breath. Sometimes I like to specify certain people.  Other times I prefer to send peace to all beings. Either way, it is simple and powerful.

Thinking of the inherent joining of giving and receiving brings a smile to my heart as I visualize a limitless cycle of blessings.

I give you a smile which you receive and then are motivated to give to another the gift of a kind word which that person receives and then is inspired to give a flower to another who receives it and feels such joy that (s)he begins singing which gives a gift to another and so it goes ceaselessly this giving and receiving reminding us of our love of one another and our fundamental oneness with all.♥

Giving and receiving is clearly not limited to material things, it also includes being present, listening, sharing laughter, smiling and being kind. Giving away love includes experiencing love.  Giving away peace means experiencing peace. Can you imagine what you would feel like if you gave yourself blessings of love and peace each morning and then spent the rest of the day sending blessings of love and peace to everyone you think of or see? 

May we receive from ourselves the gift of peace

and give the gift of our peace to others

in an endless cycle

of

peace

 and

 love

Reflection: Joanie’s gift reminded me of a sweet trio of kind souls who knocked on my door some months back.  They came and left in a flash, so I don’t know their names, but I felt their hearts.  The spokesperson glowed with joy while saying, “We love your rocks and have been getting them very often because we like them so very much.  Then we noticed you stopped putting rocks out and we thought it might be because we have taken so many that you don’t have any left.  So, we made you more!” 

With those words, I was handed a bag of hand-painted Peace Rocks and my benefactors quickly departed. I called after them, “thank you, thank you, thank you!”  After receiving their gift, I did indeed have more to give in joy, gratitude, and rocks!

Your turn: What happened when you gave?  What happened when you received?  Have you tried giving yourself love and peace and then passing it on to others? 

Thank you for being a vital part of Peace on Earth.