doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
—Max Ehrmann, 1927
— 3 —
With Deep Prayer Comes Deep Peace
Pray for what you cannot see.
Pray clearly
for what you can only faintly grasp.
Pray silently
from the core of your being.
Pray for healing.
Pray for humanity.
Pray lovingly
Pray deeply—
pray so deeply that
the prayer and the praying
become one.
—Charlie Elkind
— 4 —
Know That You Are Not Alone
All you who sleep tonight
Far from the ones you love,
No hand to left or right,
And emptiness above—
Know that you aren’t alone.
The whole world shares your tears,
Some for two nights or one,
And some for all their years.
—Vikram Seth
— 5 —
You Won’t Feel This Way Forever
That’s how you stay alive.
When it hurts so much you can’t breathe,
that’s how you survive.
By remembering that,
one day, somehow, impossibly,
you won’t feel this way.
It won’t hurt this much.
—Grey’s Anatomy
— 6 —
Eternal Love for All in the World
For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.
—Shantideva
— 7 —
Let That Word Be: Thanks
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless words is
one
meaningful
word
that on hearing
brings peace.
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless verses is
one
meaningful
verse
that on hearing
brings peace.
And better than chanting hundreds
of meaningless verses is
one
Dhamma-saying
that on hearing
brings peace.
—Dhammapada, VIIIii, attributed to Buddha
— 8 —
All Things Must Pass
Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing away;
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
—Saint Teresa of Avila
— 9 —
Toward Heaven
Refuse to fall down.
If you cannot refuse to fall down,
refuse to stay down.
If you cannot refuse to stay down,
lift your heart toward heaven
and like a hungry beggar,
