Meditations

Between stimulus and response there is a space. 
In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. 
In those choices lie our growth and happiness.

- Viktor Frankl

"One way we can find inner peace is by becoming mindful of how we respond to persons, places, and things.  If we allow ourselves to respond automatically, as we have always done before, we can be filled with anger, fear, jealousy, and all the negative emotions that have pulled us down in the past.  Instead, when a new situation occurs that pushes our buttons, we can stop, be mindful of how we are feeling, and choose to feel peace.
"For example, if someone demeans or insults us, we can hear the words but choose not to take them in where they can hurt us.  The words are merely someone else's opinion, and that does not mean they are true.  We can choose, instead, to take a conscious breath, which creates a new space and gives us time to slow down our reactions.  In that space we can make a conscious choice as to how we want to respond."

"Today I am mindful of whatever triggers my emotions, and I choose peaceful reactions whenever possible."{Peace in our Hearts, Peace in the World pg. 84}