February 25, 2022 — Early in the week, we had a fun and frivolous cardie newsletter planned for today. By yesterday morning, all the world had changed. Via email, Cardie Mary Pat Rossi put it very poignantly, “As our hearts ache for the people in Ukraine, your cards are needed more than ever for us all to share love. God is weeping with us. May we be people of hope and peace. May God be with those who weep and mourn.💔”

By nature, cardies are kind and compassionate and generally want to “dooo something” to help, to the extent we can, and bring a greater sense of peace and joy to the world. I don’t know about you, but the sadness I feel about world events like this also triggers an overall sense of powerlessness and fragility in me. Because peace always begins within us, we want to share with you this powerful meditation by Jack Kornfield from his book The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace:

The human heart has the extraordinary capacity to transform the sorrows of life into a great stream of compassion. Compassion proclaims the power of the tender and merciful heart in the face of the sufferings of the world. It arises whenever we allow our heart to be touched by the pain and need of another.

To cultivate compassion, let yourself sit in a centered and quiet way. Breathe softly and feel your body, your heartbeat, the life within you. Feel how you treasure your own life, how you guard yourself in the face of your sorrows.

After some time, bring to mind someone close to you whom you dearly love. Picture them and feel your natural caring for them. Notice how you hold them in your heart. Then let yourself be aware of their sorrows, their measure of suffering in life. Feel how your heart opens to wish them well, to extend comfort, to share in their pain and meet it with compassion. This is the natural response of the heart.

To open still further, begin reciting the phrases:

May you be held in compassion.
May you be free from pain and sorrow.
May you be at peace.

After you feel your deep caring for this person close to you, turn your compassionate heart toward yourself and the measure of sorrows you carry. For a time recite the phrases:

May I be held in compassion.
May I be free from pain and sorrow.
May I be at peace.

Now, one person at a time, extend your compassion to others you know. Picture loved ones, one after another. Hold the image of each in your heart, be aware of their difficulties, and wish them well.

May you be held in compassion.
May you be free from pain and sorrow.
May you be at peace.

Now open your compassion further … let yourself feel how the beauty of every being brings you joy and how the suffering of any being makes you weep. Feel your tenderhearted connection with all life and its creatures.

Let your heart become a transformer for these sorrows of the world. Start to breathe in the sorrows of all living beings. With each in-breath, let their sorrows touch your heart and turn into compassion. With each out-breath, wish all living beings well, and extend your caring and merciful heart to them.

May you be held in compassion.
May you be free of pain and sorrow.
May you be at peace.

Finally, sit quietly and let your breath and heart rest naturally, as a center of compassion in the midst of the world. ❤️

Jodee Stevens
Founder & Chief Creative