Karen Casey - All We Have Is All We Need: Daily Steps Toward a Peaceful Life

First published in 2006 by Conari Press,

an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

York Beach, ME

With offices at:

500 Third Street, Suite 230

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2006 Karen Casey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Casey, Karen.

All we have is all we need : daily steps toward a peaceful life / Karen Casey.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-57324-268-3 (alk. paper)

1. Meditations. I. Title.

BL624.2.C365 2006

204'.4dc22

2005033554

Typeset in Perpetua by Gopa & Ted2, Inc.

Printed in Canada

TCP

13 12 11 10 09 08 0 7 06

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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T HESE DAYS, our lives can feel so hectic and out of control, so lacking in hope and joy. And yet every day, opportunities to experience joy and create peace-filled lives come our way. We have within us the enormous potential to create peace.

It's a matter of how we view the people and experiences in our lives. Being willing to see things differently is all that we need. Every time we respond to a situation with love rather than anger, or fear, or hatred, we take a step toward a more peaceful life, and each step creates its own momentum for positive changesmall changes that ripple their way ever outward, influencing other people, other communities, and, ultimately, the world.

That's right. Your decision to act from a place of love contributes to the well-being of all humankind. No matter how crazy the rest of the world seems, we are neither helpless nor hopeless. And the power to effect peaceful change is as close as our next thought. We have within us all we need to do our part in making this a more peaceful world. I'm not just playing with words when I say, all we have is all we need.

All we need to do is shift our own perspective, and we can create the very miracles we seek. The world we see and experience is nothing more or less than a reflection of us, every one of us, and the way toward peace comes through such simple actions as responding with love to our spouse or child, behaving with courtesy toward the person sitting next to us in a meeting or on the bus, smiling at the person standing ahead of us in line at the grocery store. We offer nourishment to all of us every time we say a silent prayer for someone. It's all about what we send out from our hearts.

Perhaps you have heard this before. Even if you have, I believe you will find much value in the thoughts I share with you in the pages that follow. We often need to hear about an idea several times before we are willing to try it on for size. Here I give you lots of ideas to choose from.

It's important to remember, however, that it's not our job to change anyone else. Our job is to practice new behaviors. How lucky we are that we can do this. We can serve as the change agents that our families and communities need, that we need.

Let's not shy away from our responsibility. Instead, let's be grateful for the many opportunities to express more peace-filled lives that come our way every day. It's through our example that others will be inspired. Then and only then will we see the change that Margaret Mead expressed so long ago when she said, so eloquently, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

This book offers ideas for baby steps we can take every day that will add up to a peaceful life and a peaceful presence in the lives of others. The daily thoughts are grouped into six parts, each dealing with a different aspect of the process.

I designed the book so that it can be opened to any page for inspiration. You don't need to read it front to back. You can, of course, read it all the way through, returning to those thoughts that are most meaningful for you. Or you can start with the part that speaks to you right now and work with those ideas, or open to any page at random and see what's there. Read one thought each morning for inspiration, or read several and select the ones that you need to practice today. You may want to write down the ideas that you would like to remember and post them around your home, car, or office where you are most likely to see them. Or tuck this small book into your pocket or briefcase or purse and read a few passages when you have a free moment during the day.

Throughout these pages I refer to God or to a Higher Power as my partner on this path. When reflecting on the thoughts presented here and bringing them into your own life, you may prefer to use another phrase Creator, the Divine, the Universethat encompasses a universal life force as you understand it. The word or phrase used isn't importantwhat is important is your willingness to take steps forward, every day.

So go ahead. Take one step toward a more peaceful life, and then another, and another. Creating peace is not about making sudden, big changes, but about the accumulation of many tiny changes. And it starts with us. But watch out! Once you start down this road to peace, life will never be the same.

T HE MEN AND WOMEN who share our journey today, along with those who shared it yesterday and those who will come calling tomorrow, do not make their appearances coincidentally. We share this path by design, because of the lessons we need to learn from one another. We have on some level selected one another, and it's within these carefully selected relationships that the lessons we need to learn present themselves. The people we meet today are our teachers.

And we switch roles, moment by moment. In one instance we may be the teacher, and in the next the student. The dance is what matters.

That doesn't make every experience easy, however. Some lessons are very difficult, in fact. But, usually, the difficulty lies in our resistance to embracing the lesson, to seeing the experience as hopeful or beneficial or spiritual or necessary to the growth we are ready to enjoy. And our resistance usually invites resistance from our teacher, too. It is helpful to remember that our Higher Power is part of the equation.

Being in the role of teacher or student in all our relationships is the constant in our lives. That's the exciting news, and it makes all interactions purposeful. We may choose not to appreciate the purpose or learn the lesson that's calling to us, and that's okay. A similar experience, with a similar lesson, will come our way at another time. We are not being held to a specific timeframe. We are held only to the lessons. When we learn them is up to us.

The ultimate lesson, of course, is forgiveness. Forgiveness of ourselves and of one another. And we can best accomplish this through making amends when we have harmed ourselves or others. The healing that fills our hearts and the hearts of our companions on this path when we make an amend is the substance that allows each one of us to carry the message of hope and love to all the people we meet on a daily basis. No one heals in isolation. Every opportunity we take to extend ourselves to others in a forgiving way heals hearts. And never just one...