I am not a very religious person but I believe in prayers. I often drop by this quaint little chapel in Eastwood or the one in Greenbelt. See, my children don’t live with me anymore and I worry as most parents do. My only comfort is in prayers as it lessens my anxiety.
My prayers are always for my children: May they be safe, may they be happy and may they be healthy.
A friend shared me a 20-minute loving-kindness practice to help us extend compassion to ourselves, those around us, and the larger world. It is beautiful and reminds me of my own prayer except for the last line which I now believe I will add in my future prayers:
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you feel safe.
May you live your life with ease.
Yes, I will add “May you live your life with ease.”
I will picture my two children and wish them with these four phrases:
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you feel safe.
May you live your life with ease.
Listen to this:
But this loving compassion practice is not just for my children. This is for ourselves and the larger world. I must remind myself that I also deserve happiness. Life is not perfect. Maybe if I pray for my friends , difficult people, and the world, there might be some measure of peace.
Without any sort of demand, I will offer the same wishes I extended to my children:
“May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I feel safe.
May I live my life with ease.”
This loving-kindness practice is also for the whole family.
I will picture my family as well and think:
“May all of us be happy.
May all of us be healthy.
May all of us feel safe.
May we all live our lives with ease.”
And if my husband and I are having challenges, I will also picture the same:
“May we both be happy.
May we both be healthy.
May we both feel safe.
May we both live our lives with ease.”
To you my dear readers, I also wish the same.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you feel safe.
May you live your life with ease.