The Work Ahead….Nurturing Resilience

 Eagle Poem
by Joy Harjo

To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can't see, can't hear
Can't know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren't always sound but other
Circles of motion.
Like eagle that  
Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon, within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.

The holiday season has begun, and in the midst of all we may be experiencing in the world, we can also touch its wholeness, reminding us that it’s possible for us to cultivate a mind that heals. We can nurture the resilience to face these tumultuous times by purposely cultivating a hope that springs from the energy of life itself. So in this season of thanks and rejuvenation, I am grateful for the practice of Deep Hope— a hope that sustains us, no matter the outcome of a particular course of events. A hope that comes forth when we open our hearts and minds to what we can offer and what we receive. A hope that arises in stepping forward in skillful action with fortitude and courage that is grounded in patience and clarity. A hope that is a state of mind, not a state of the world, an orientation of the heart that transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons. A hope that is grateful for the freedom and ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed and encourages us to carry on in spite of what the latest news reveals. I bow with gratitude to this hope that encourages us to engage in living in such a way as to nurture and sustain our deepest capacity to continue on, knowing that, in spite of what appears on the surface, there exists a quality deep within every single one of us, a fundamental love and connection between all things. But it also a hope that requires us to make the effort, allowing it to come forth and reveal itself to us.