Inner Peace

It's been said that peace comes from within. For much of my life that inner world has been anything but peaceful. Right at this moment I'm feeling fairly peaceful but I still struggle with the injustices I perceive both against me and against those I see as being wronged.

What has changed, even though I often think it is a small change, is what I do about it. For me, in that self I see, I want change to be big and instantaneous. It's the old prayer for patience, "God, give me patience AND I WANT IT NOW!" The world does not seem to work on this level, though, so perhaps I need to be thankful for the smaller scale changes. While MYSELF wants peace to be visibly sown with my presence everywhere I go (perhaps closer to the scale of Charlton Heston parting the Red Sea) I can see the small peace when I become mindful about speaking to others and especially my students. The smaller sigh instead of the angry curse. The word of encouragement rather than criticism.

It is far from perfection but it is progress.