"Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it toward others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.”             ~ Etty Hillesum 

Peace, beauty, kindness, courage, hope, faith, love - even joy - were a natural part of Etty Hillesum's thinking and writing, even during the daily horrors of the Holocaust. 

If a young woman imprisoned in a death camp could reach in, find her highest spiritual qualities, and use them to live with dignity, surely I can too, I have told myself. Etty is a touchstone for my striving to Live The Twelve Gifts.

About peace: Didn't Etty say it beautifully? 

You are hereby invited to participate in an informal Reclaiming Peace Group. We simply intend to reclaim more and more peace within ourselves.

We start today by catching ourselves in the act of judging anyone and anything. And then what?

Whenever you notice yourself judging, stop. Don't feed your judgmental thoughts. Don't rationalize or justify the judging. Just stop. Take a deep breath. Let it go. Think of something else.

Peace is beautiful, healthy, and healing. Judging disturbs our peace. 

Consider designating a jar for the purpose of keeping track of judging. Commit to putting something in the jar every time you start to judge. Make it a coin, a dollar, a paper clip, anything. Do this for more than a day. I suggest at least a week. You may be amazed at how much you have been judging. If you use money to keep track, instead of treating yourself to something with what you collected when you decide you are done, donate it toward some worthy need, toward some greater good. 

That's what it's all about: greater good for all of us.

Including peace,
Charlene

MAY PEACE WASH OVER YOU. - from The Twelve Gifts for Healing