Today's Bliss: Peace

Today is International Day of Peace. This is a hard thing to grasp on a big scale. From war-torn villages in far off lands to large American cities dealing with a population that is 10% homeless, our country is in conflict here at home and overseas. But whether or not we are actually in a declared time of peace, today is a day for everyone to stop and think about their lives. Are you creating peace in your life (for yourself and for those around you)?

Something that is very difficult for me to learn is how to fully be at peace. How to avoid conflict and let go of things, situations, relationships, etc. that cause disquiet in my life. But building a life of peace is something that I will always focus on. Life is too short to not embrace peacefulness; because for me, a life of peace means a life of happiness and bliss.

This summer N and I went to Europe for two weeks. It was a great trip and we got to see a lot of different places and monuments. One of the places that we visited was a memorial at the remnants of a WWII concentration camp called Amersfoort in the Netherlands. This site had been a place of so much hatred and suffering...everything that is the opposite of peace. But the memorial was beautiful, and I was very moved by the place of peace that had been created to remember the souls who had passed through this camp.

If something this beautiful and peaceful can be created at a place that had been filled with so much conflict and terror, then there is hope for all of us.

To celebrate this Day of Peace, pause for a moment to pray that people everywhere can find hope and peace in the midst of the chaos that may surround them.