"The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes." Annie Dillard

. . . . we are all teachers.

"A fixer A fixer has the illusion of being causal. The server knows that he or she is being used in the service of something greater, essentially unknown. We fix something specific. We serve always the something: wholeness and the mystery of life. Fixing and helping are the work of the ego. Serving is the work of the soul. When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may cure. Serving heals. When I help, I feel satisfaction. When I serve, I feel gratitude. Fixing is a form of judgment. Serving is a form of connection." Unknown

"The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That's how much gratitude I can give. If I carry only grief, I'll bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I'll become saccharine and won't develop much compassion for other people's suffering. Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft, which makes compassion possible." Francis Weller

Less is so often more — these words distill, in a mere 6 sentences, the mountains of words I’ve used to describe the immense value of grieving, healing and gratitude.

"When a living system is suffering from ill health, the remedy is found by connecting with more of itself." Francisco Varela, biologist, philosopher, and neuroscientist

In my practice, I see this truth with every person who learns to experience the mind/body in a more integrated way.

"Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now." Fred Rogers

Such a great definition of love . . . .

“There is still so much in the world worth fighting for. So much that is beautiful, so many wonderful people working to reverse the harm, to help alleviate the suffering. And so many young people dedicated to making this a better world. All conspiring to inspire us and to give us hope that it is not too late to turn things around, if we all do our part.” Dr. Jane Goodall

Reason for hope —

"People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Lovely words from a beautiful soul . . . .

"But peace can be made only by those who are peaceful, and love can be shown only by those who love. No work of love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now." Alan W. Watts

An important insight!