“How do I stay calm when I’m with my family?” Is a question I frequently hear at this time of year.
Our families are many things; the home of our birth, a space where we feel we belong, a source of support and comfort. They can also be the place where we feel the most challenged.
Common sense
When we’re seeking to live from love it’s important to set the bar according to the situation we find ourselves in.
In a family gathering it may not be possible to always be kind and considerate. Sometimes the effects of disrespect or hurt linger in families, unconscious and unhealed, for generations.
Perhaps hardest of all is when a wound inflicted by a family member is unacknowledged by the other. In these instances the wound is deprived of the air it needs to mend.
Compassion for ourselves
It’s important to remember that being loving isn’t about being perfectly kind or perfectly compassionate all the time. Our divine perfection unfolds with our willingness to keep focused on love even when we’re falling into despair.
When our heart contracts, it’s time to lower the bar of our expectations. To give ourselves extra breathing room so that our heart energies can circulate compassion for our hurting.
The cracks in our psyche then become openings for grace to flow and deepen our presence as love. We begin to feel whole, more balanced within ourselves, more in harmony with our surroundings.
It’s when we remember that we belong to our essence that our inner light shines more brightly, and our state of being emanates this light as patience, understanding and generosity.
A gift for you
I deeply appreciate you for your dedication to awakening into your true nature as love.
This edition of Heart Notes contains a short guided audio meditation for cultivating natural loving presence.
Click here to listen or download.
Share your experience in the comments below.
