Peace is not just the peace symbol image and the absence of violence.  True Peace can be noticed in the eyes and the face, a manifestation of our inner feelings.  Wherever you are, really LOOK at the faces you come into contact with or just sit and observe the random faces that pass you.  What is the obvious clue that you are looking into the face of Peace……a SMILE!

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. Thich Nhat Hanh

You may think that observing Love is easy…..people holding hands, embracing, kissing…the obvious stuff. But to recognize the real deal of what unconditional Love is you need to locate two examples: babies and dogs!   Babies are the epitome of Love because they do not know of anything else but Love!  They will coo and smile at the attention of any person without regard to race, religion, gender or beauty.  And dogs…they offer unconditional face licking and tail wagging to their owners and anybody else who gives them attention!

Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching. Rudyard Kipling

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle. Vincent van Gogh

The call to perform Random Acts of Kindness has been published and preached by many. So, what IS kindness?  The first three letters of the word give it away…K-I-N….or “family”. The clue to seeing Kindness is observing people treating other people or animals like they are FAMILY!  We treat our parents, children, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, in-laws, etc. with Kindness because they are important and special to us.  Extending this exclusive treatment to others is what Random Acts of Kindness are about!

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again. Og Mandino

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. His Holiness the Dalai Lama

What does it mean to be generous? Is it giving money to charity or church? Is it giving time and talent to volunteer projects?  Yes and No to both! Real Generosity begins with the whole person…..a person who gives everything that they are to an activity or project.  Your heart allows you to “feel” the total commitment of a person…the total giving of their ALL….. real Generosity,…. to what they are doing.  It is full giving of mind, body, spirit and resources that constitutes real Generosity.

To generous souls every task is noble. Euripides

To know Compassion, you have to truly understand the meaning of what it is.  The prefix “com” means with, together, jointly, and “passion” means “to suffer” (Latin).  Compassion can then become “suffering with” or “suffering together”.   When we can put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and really understand what they are experiencing then we experience compassion.   The late Mother Theresa understood compassion and was the embodiment of this aspect in her ministry to the poor and afflicted.

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another. Thomas Merton

The song “Oh Happy Day!” comes to mind, and when that melody is in a person’s heart it shows in the face and you can HEAR IT! What are you listening for?  LAUGHTER!!  If you or anybody else is merrily and heartily laughing, JOY is present!  When adults and children are laughing they are expressing the sounds of Joy!

A sense of humor... is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.
Hugh Sidey

Although the first thing that may come to mind regarding “what is” Tolerance is the statement, “Why do I put up with_______!  It is actually the direct opposite of that aggravated state. Tolerance IS putting up with, in a lovingly detached way, whatever we perceive in another person that is not congruent with what we like or believe.   It is allowing the other person “to be” just as they are and accepting them right at that point.  Tolerance does not necessarily mean agreeing with them, just letting them have their space and freedom to be.  Tolerance of one another could be the first step to achieving peace between individuals and countries.

True love means infinite tolerance for each others differences. M.K. Soni
Tolerance is the eager and glad acceptance of the way along which others seek the truth.
Sir Walter Besant

Someone wrongs you, they apologize and then you forgive them.  But WHAT did you actually do in the “forgiving”?  If the word “forgive” is broken down into it’s two parts, for and give, a clearer meaning presents itself.  One definition of “for” is completely, and the definition of “give” that is so pertinent is to grant or bestow.  So, if the two definitions are combined, a beautiful meaning of “forgive” is to completely grant or bestow PARDON.   We release the other person (adult or child) from whatever they said or did that hurt or angered us…..COMPLETELY!  Forgiveness is an aspect that you can “pay it forward”…..just always BE forgiving!

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. Saint Francis of Assisi

Sometimes it is hard to be grateful for everything we experience in our lives.  We tend to classify events and moments as either good or bad, but they are neither….they are neutral and it is OUR perception that makes them pleasant, or not, to us.  The best way to “neutralize” all our moments is to douse them liberally with Gratitude. This thankfulness for all things does not come from our mind, because then it can be conditional or insincere.  REAL Gratitude is an ATTITUDE of the HEART!  You FEEL Gratitude, not think it.  So, whatever you are “see-ing” in your now, just pour some heartfelt Gratitude over it and watch it either GROW or DISSOLVE! Either way it works out great!

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. Brian Tracy

Hurry and get to work, the children to school, yourself to an appointment…hurry, hurry, hurry!  The plethora of daily demands enslaves us to a rigid schedule with very little time to be truly “leisurely”.  Few leisure moments means that there is no real time to devote to being truly Attentive to anything other than what is on the daily schedule. Time to listen to our aging parents, our crying child, our frustrated spouse, a despondent friend or just to play with our loving pets is the gift of Attentiveness.   It is offering our total presence, even if it is for only a few minutes. Pretending to listen, care and sympathize because we have the next task already screaming at us is not Attentiveness.

The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention. Richard Moss

Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention. Jim Rohn

Many words have been written and spoken about what Awareness is and guidelines on how to become Aware.  In it’s simplest form, Awareness is just about being present in every moment, similar to being in attendance at school.  But just showing up is only part of the Awareness aspect, as there is another more important component and that is PARTICIPATION!   You can show up for each moment in your life, but if you do not participate fully you miss the total experience!  Just like in the school classroom you can “be” there, but unless you engage yourself with what is going on you gain nothing.

The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something; whereas the strongest, by dispersing his over many, may fail to accomplish anything. Thomas Carlyle

Awareness is that state of mind which takes in everything-the crows flying across the sky, the flowers on the trees, the people sitting in front, the colors they are wearing- being extensively aware, which needs watching, observing, taking in the shape of the leaf, the shape of the trunk, the shape of the head of another, what he is doing. Jiddu Krishnamurti

This quality is one of the more difficult to recognize and emulate because we are such a busy society!  Sometimes we are able to fit in a short period of Stillness at a yoga class, before we fall asleep or take a nap, but therein lies the problem as Stillness is just part of our schedule.  Being still does not mean sitting or standing still or even just sitting in meditation. The true quality of Stillness can be practiced by doing one basic thing……not allowing your MIND to move!  You CAN allow the constant barrage of thoughts to keep up their pace, but you don’t permit your mind to follow them!  See the thoughts pass like a moving parade….you spectate, but not participate!  An active body can also work congruently with a still mind as in the instance of doing walking meditation.

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. Deepak Chopra

When you don’t know what to do, get still. The answer will come. Oprah Winfrey

The “absence” of Patience is more evident than the practice of this quality! How many times can you witness road rage, irritation in a long checkout line, anger at waiting on hold while on a phone call, rushing to go somewhere, rudeness when ordered food is slow in getting to the table. The list could go on, but Patience is much lacking in our daily lives. Patience is founded in honor……honoring every moment with a calm response instead of a hasty reaction. It’s all about the time in-between what presents itself and what action is taken. Take time out for patience!

Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears. Barbara Johnson

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Quincy Adams