My Peace SanctuaryPeace of Observation Part 2

Dear Friend in Peace,

I love this photo and can still feel the joy in every pore of my body of being in the presence of this glorious blessing of a raindrop laden Florida native blueberry plant (*Vaccinium* sp.) It fits our focus on observation perfectly because its very nature is mesmerizing as it encourages us to look more closely, clearly, here and there as an observer. My eyes are drawn to the raindrops, and the colors, I feel pure joy when looking at it and hope you do too. There is no desire for judgement on my part. I see and feel joy and sweet peace. May it remind us of the blessings, joy, hope, and peace of observation.

Last week's post on the Peace of Observation catapulted me into memories of my first teaching job at a Montessori preschool. One of my most powerful memories of that fabulous introduction to teaching was of the directress, Audrey, sitting on the piano bench simply watching the children.

At first, I was confused by her behavior of simply sitting there for long periods of time, but after days of observing her, I came to recognize the wisdom and power of what she was doing. She was not sitting there because she was lazy or wanted to figure out what was wrong with each child. Instead, she was sitting there to discover through observation the unique strengths, challenges, learning styles and passions of each child in that school.

I remember the day it finally all made sense and I realized Audrey looked not to change each child, but to understand the beautiful beings in front of her compassionate eyes. Once she understood how the children thought, functioned, and related to others, she knew how to assist them in gaining other skills and in moving from success on to a new opportunity and challenge.

Observation allows us to walk in others' shoes and feel their joys and challenges. It turns out we are all like those little children with strengths and weaknesses and we too can be like Audrey and choose to observe others in order to understand, to empathize, to learn, and to admire.

Next time you or I feel tempted to judge someone or some situation as impossible, let's breathe out that temptation and sit right down beside Audrey on the piano bench where we can breathe in peace as we simply sit, observe, and discover. We may find out the person who was "being so mean," is struggling to manage daily activities. The more we choose to observe, we will not only discover more about others, we will discover more about ourselves and be able to offer all involved a peaceful path forward. Peace is for everyone and so is our vision of a world in which all people are treated with dignity and respect because we remember, feel, and know our oneness with all our brothers and sisters.

Observation creates understanding

Understanding creates community

Community creates compassion

Compassion creates love

Love creates peace

Thank you each and all for choosing peace in your thoughts, words, and actions. I welcome, encourage, and enjoy your comments, and ideas for creating more peace in YOUR heart along with any other comments and suggestions.

Yours in peace and love always,
Donna

P.S. Please pass on the peace by sharing this post with friends and family. They can join this mailing list, by writing to me at donnadday@gmail.com