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Heartwings Love Notes 1023 - 1023 Peace Be with You

Heartwings says, "Making peace with worries helps us better focus on what we can do."

One of my Christmas presents from my husband Stephen was a tee shirt with a cutely illustrated saying. It began with a flower outlined circle with an inverted "Y" in the center: a peace symbol. Then came a sweetly designed bee, with a W/ next to it. Finally at the end was an adorable sheep with a red bow on her head: clearly a ewe. The first time I wore it I was trying to figure out what it said; however, I was looking in the mirror. I walked into the living room and Stephen saw it. "Peace be with you," he said as he looked at it.

"Oh, of course," I said, realizing his correct interpretation. The words brought back memories. First of the priest turning to the congregation in my childhood church saying the same words with the congregation responding "And with you also." Later on, the same would occur in a church Stephen and I attended, only here it was the congregation speaking and answering one another. I wish we all greeted each other this way on a daily basis. It might make for a more peaceful world.

To truly be at peace these days seems more and more difficult. News of war is seemingly endemic, and the current atmosphere seems reminiscent of the fifties when we all worried endlessly, and some built bomb shelters in their back yards. Then in the forties when I was in the fourth grade, around Christmas, we drew on napkins with crayons to wish soldiers fighting overseas a merry Christmas. They were supposed to go to soldiers, I'm not sure how.

I was too young to know much about war but my parents had constant reminders. My mother had family in Germany, where she had grown up in the shadow of WWI. Later once the war finally ended, she collected clothing and shoes to send in packages wrapped in sturdy brown paper knotted all over with carefully tied string to prevent their being opened and the contents stolen. Her father worked as a translator for General Clay, who was a US administrator of Germany at the time.

To be at peace with a situation or happenstance is to invoke a sense of detachment from it. When there is nothing that I can do to change a situation or even to contribute to its resolution, I must make peace with it and detach. I need to conserve my energy for what I can effectively do or however I can be of help. To waste it in worrying is not only unproductive, but also foolish. The best I can do then, is to pray for peace and also to hope for the best.

Do try to detach from useless worrying that only disturbs your own peace of mind.

 

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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