My friend Melanie, and owner of Yogaphoria, in New Hope PA, shared in their latest newsletter some beautiful thoughts that were heartfelt and reflected my own feelings about life right now as we go throught the challenges that are presented to us all sides, accepting what really matters as we go into 2009! I would love to share it with you….
She wrote:
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January 2009 |
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New Year’s Prayer |
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As I opened my eyes this New Year’s morning, warm in my bed, peaceful and quiet, the first thing my eyes focused on was a beautiful painting given to me by our beloved Abigail Boehm. It is one she had painted for my birthday. It’s a soft dreamy picture of a star-like figure in subtle tones of blues and golds. In the center of the painting are the words “Absolute attention is prayer.” The words are not bold, no, quite the opposite. They come at your eyes as a whisper would come to your ears. They draw your focus to them in remembrance of the gentle qualities prayer can hold. The painting is kind, soft, and loving, just as Abigail is and it holds the perfect mantra for the year to come.
Later that day, I went to Abigail and Kevin’s house for their traditional New Year’s day pot luck. A group of people had followed her other tradition of jumping into the river earlier that day and everyone came back to her house to get warm and be fed. Of course, I thought about joining in on that polar bear tradition for a moment but wisely changed my mind. As we all sat at Abigail and Kevin’s chatting about the freezing cold river, the delicious food, and the up coming plans for the year ahead, the thought “absolute attention is prayer” kept coming to my mind. There we were, all cozy and warm just being with each other like a modern day Norman Rockwell painting. Paying attention to each other’s thoughts and words and laughter. It’s in those moments you realize, THAT’S IT. That’s all there is…no matter what. Even when the world is going crazy around us…that’s it. Where we choose to place our absolute attention determines our lives. To give absolute attention to the present turns our whole life into a prayer. To bask in the love and friendship of each other is as great a prayer or meditation as any other. Perhaps even better.
What a metaphor that day was. Going from the freezing cold rapid waters of the river to the absolute warmth and attention of each other says it all. If we really stopped to think about it, is there anything more we need? Aren’t all our greatest moments about experiencing the love of each other in the fullest?
The evening came to a close and everyone gathered up their coats and plates and headed back out into the cold…and it was cold! Abigail and I stopped at the door and hugged. She looked at me with those pure blue angel-like eyes and with full attention said “I love you…happy new year.” I said the same in return. As I walked out the door, the wind and cold hit me hard, but I wasn’t sure what made my eyes fill with tears. Was it the cold on my face or the warmth in my heart? Did it matter? I just put all my attention on how wonderful I felt and sent out a prayer that each and everyone of us has a whole year of feeling that blessed.
Much love and many blessings,
Melanie
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You hope you found it as profound as I did. You can find their website at www.yogaphoria.com They have a beautiful space, where they do yoga, they have a tea lounge and a sanctuary for all who visit!
Warmly,
Coach Louise
A New Year’s Prayer of Gratitude for our Families and Friends in the here and now… said,
January 6, 2009 at 7:17 pm
[...] the777group wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt My friend Melanie, and owner of Yogaphoria, in New Hope PA, shared in their latest newsletter some beautiful thoughts that were heartfelt and reflected my own feelings about life right now as we go throught the challenges that are presented to us all sides, accepting what really matters as we go into 2009! I would love to share it with you…. She wrote: [...]
8 said,
January 6, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Health Guide Free
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wistle said,
January 6, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Nice post!
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Coach Louise said,
January 6, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Thanks!
Holistic Lounge said,
March 14, 2009 at 3:09 pm
very intersting article!