Domestic Dharma: peace? peace. peace!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how the prospect of peace seems to be everywhere. I see peace signs, people giving the peace sign, the word written out in home decor seemingly everywhere you look. Yet I also witness lots of evidence of judgement, anger, hate, and lack of true compassion which is to the contrary. In my daily life I make it a practice to be mindful of my thoughts, actions, and feelings. ( I am not perfect, notice I said practice) I ask myself am I really seeking and promoting peace? Taking a quick look around the house...

I strive to walk the walk not just talk the talk.

Like so many things I believe that peace begins at home, and before it fills our homes, it is found in our hearts. I also believe another part of this is to be self love, are we truly loving of ourselves? Do we have peace with ourselves? Can you really love another if you don't love yourself? good questions! I do feel it nourishes our mind and spirit to be truly happy and loving of others. How often are we quick to find jealousy, resentment, anger, defense? I encourage you when you do find that to acknowledge it and let it go, seek to turn it around into true happiness and compassion for both others and yourself. Happiness afterall can be a choice, you can choose it. So from feeling love and peace in our hearts we can truly spread it to others in our daily lifes, and it can spread out further to more and more beings. If we all really want world peace I think we can begin by loving eachother, supporting eachother, surrounding ourselves with positive people and giving love to the less positive, embrace eachother, be kind to strangers and loved ones alike and animals, practice compassion in all ways that you can, sincerely wish well for others.

I would like to share a few quotes that I find very inspiring:

'Peace comes from within, do not seek it without.' ~Buddha

'A candle looses nothing by lighting another candle.' ~James Keller

'You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.' ~Buddha

'If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.' ~the 14th Dalai Lama

'Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.' ~Buddha

'It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love, or how you love, It matters only
that You love.' ~ John Lennon

'When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.' ~Jimi Hendrix

Thank you for letting me share what's been on my mind here =)

I've spent much of the past few days with my Momma and Daddio and now I'm home tonight missing them a bit =) I'm so grateful for my parents, my cup runneth over. This past fall Mom and I attended a screening of FoodMatters together, here we are early for the event enjoying our green smoothies.