It takes courage to grieve, to honor the pain we carry. We can grieve in tears or in meditative silence, in prayer or in song. In touching the pain of recent and long-held griefs, we come face to face with our genuine human vulnerability, with helplessness and hopelessness. These are the storm clouds of the heart.

The knowledge of the past stays with us. To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.

In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived How well we have loved How well we have learned to let go

With mindfulness, we are learning to observe in a new way, with balance and a powerful disidentification.

The emotional wisdom of the heart is simple. When we accept our human feelings, a remarkable transformation occurs. Tenderness and wisdom arise naturally and spontaneously. Where we once sought strength over others, now our strength becomes our own; where we once sought to defend ourselves, we laugh.

The focusing of attention on the breath is perhaps the most universal of the many hundreds of meditation subjects used worldwide.

Each moment of every day is new and then it vanishes. Where is that day? Where is that moment?