FIND PEACE

It is really easy to find news of panic and despair right now. But if you look for it you will also find messages that will inspire and ground you. Without ignoring the seriousness of this global crisis we hope that these messages of peace and perspective help you get through your hardest moments. If you need a regular dose of good news – spend more time at Good News Network and less time watching the news networks.

Prayer for a Pandemic by Carmeron Bellm

May we who are merely inconvenienced. Remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors Remember those most vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent. May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close Remember those who have no options. May we who have to cancel our trips Remember those that have no safe place to go. May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market Remember those who have no margin at all. May we who settle in for quarantine at home Remember those who have no home. As fear grips our world, let us choose love. During this time that we cannot physicaly wrap our arms around each other, Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbours. Amen.

Alessia Bonari – nurse in Italy

“I am afraid because the mask might not stick properly to the face, or I might have accidentally touched myself with dirty gloves, or maybe the lenses don’t cover my eyes fully and something slipped by. I am physically tired because the protective devices hurt, the lab coat makes me sweat and once I’m dressed I can no longer go to the bathroom or drink for six hours. I am psychologically tired, as are all my colleagues who have been in the same condition for weeks, but this will not prevent us from doing our job as we have always done. I will continue to take care of my patients because I am proud and in love with my job. What I ask anyone who is reading this post is not to frustrate the effort we are making, to be selfless, to stay at home and thus protect those who are most fragile.”

For One Who Is Exhausted, A Blessing by John O’Donohue

When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic, Time takes on the strain until it breaks; Then all the unattended stress falls in On the mind like an endless, increasing weight. The light in the mind becomes dim. Things you could take in your stride before Now become laborsome events of will. Weariness invades your spirit. Gravity begins falling inside you, Dragging down every bone. The tide you never valued has gone out. And you are marooned on unsure ground. Something within you has closed down; And you cannot push yourself back to life. You have been forced to enter empty time. The desire that drove you has relinquished. There is nothing else to do now but rest And patiently learn to receive the self You have forsaken in the race of days. At first your thinking will darken And sadness take over like listless weather. The flow of unwept tears will frighten you. You have traveled too fast over false ground; Now your soul has come to take you back. Take refuge in your senses, open up To all the small miracles you rushed through. Become inclined to watch the way of rain When it falls slow and free. Imitate the habit of twilight, Taking time to open the well of color That fostered the brightness of day. Draw alongside the silence of stone Until its calmness can claim you. Be excessively gentle with yourself. Stay clear of those vexed in spirit. Learn to linger around someone of ease Who feels they have all the time in the world. Gradually, you will return to yourself, Having learned a new respect for your heart And the joy that dwells far within slow time.

Brene Brown

Surviving this crisis will take a shift in mindset, and that’s tougher than we think – especially when we’re afraid. Fear and anxiety can drive us to become very self-focused. This global pandemic is a real case of “getting sick together” or “staying well together.” Our choices affect everyone around us. There is no such thing as “individual risk” or “individual wellness.” This is the ultimate reminder that we are inextricably connected to each other. Turning away from collective action right now – as tempting as it is – will only generate more pain. Owning and embracing our global interconnectedness (from a safe distance) and thinking about others as we make choices is, ironically, our only path to safety for ourselves and the people we love. We can all get really shitty really fast when we’re afraid. I get it. I’m using deep breaths along with my personal mantra: ” Try to be scared without being scary.” Feel free to borrow both – they can help. It’s also really normal for everyone to be on our nerves: The people who aren’t following the rules, the 10-second hand washers, etc. I get that too. TRUST ME. But, like it or not, we just can’t give up on people. We’re all we have. Stay awkward, brave, and kind. Love each other. Spread calm. xo,

BB Pope Francis

“We are all children of God, and He watches over us”, says the Pope. “Even those who have not yet met God, those who do not have the gift of faith, can find their way through the good things that they believe in. They can find strength in their love for their children, their family, their brothers and sisters. Someone might say: ‘I cannot pray because I do not believe’. But at the same time”, concludes Pope Francis, “we can believe in the love of the people we have around us, and there we can find hope”. Her Majesty The Queen At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation’s history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal.

In Praise Of The Quiet Life

Quiet lives feel nowadays like lives of failure and resignation, but they may be no such thing: true ambition can lie in learning how to minimize stress and divert energy to properly important projects.

Coronavirus’s unexpected silver lining seen in Italy

The impact of a big reduction in vehicle traffic and industrial activity across the economically vibrant northern swath of the country is resulting in a dramatic decrease in pollution and is demonstrating that we can have a direct impact on our climage change by changing our behaviours. After only a few weeks of shutdown fish are returning to the Venice lagoon and canals for the first time in decades and there is a full and early bloom in springtime flowers.