At 3 p.m. tomorrow, Taps Across America participants will play twenty-four
beautifully haunting notes of a Civil War bugle call honoring those fallen in
military service to the nation. The spiritual practice of remembrance unites all
humanity through our shared sacred rite of passage we’ve christened “death.”
Beliefs, like memorial statues, are molds that sculpt the collective
consciousness of our society. External monuments are temporary, subject to decay;
however, internal structures guide our thoughts and actions to have a generational
impact. Our human destiny does not come from the outcomes of external conflict
but the journey within as we remove the mental obstacles that create beliefs of
separation and conflict. Reminded of the preciousness of the here and now, we are
connected by our mortality.
We all seek a life of peace and joy, a desire echoing from a Divine Source
emanating from every living organism. Memorial Day confronts us with the
tremendous pain and suffering loved ones endure long after the ceremonial flag is
folded and the bugler's last note drifts into the heavens. Spiritual awakening comes
to those who embrace grief, a painful process often masked by the national
temptation to think of Memorial Day as "the start of summer." The sacred pause is
an invitation to process the profoundly courageous journey into the heart.
As we remember those who have had to bear the unbearable of losing their
loved ones to war, we attempt to fully empathize with their suffering. We've all
suffered in some way this past year.
How is your soul?
Pause, reflect, open your heart, and know suffering is the great sculptor of
our being.
Day is done, Gone the sun,
From the lake, From the hill,
From the sky.
All is well, Safely rest,
Love is nigh.