"The bud/ stands for all things,/ even for those things that don't flower,/ for everything flowers, from within,/ of self-blessing." – Galway Kinnell
Today, the Buddhist monk meditates his way along his inner path. The Catholic nun prays a bridge between her and God. The Wall Street trader seeks meaning in numbers flashing across the electronic ticker tape. The school teacher studies the yearning eyes of her students. What does the caregiver do?
How are you feeling just now? What has determined your present state of mind and body and spirit?
Amid all the seductive noise of the world beyond the borders of our skin, it can be very difficult to remember that all strength comes from within. We are the ones that choose whether to listen to the voice of Love and to let Love inform our every encounter.
Instead, I often let my moods move as if they were subject to the weather. I leave the question of my happiness up to the whims of how I am treated by others, whether the sun is shinning, whether my favorite team wins, whether I get good news or bad from the the world.
The news that matters comes from inside. If we can learn to let Love shape our world view all of our encounters will be fulfilling. This does not, of course, mean that all will be happy. Instead, it means that our lives will be infused with the rich spectrum of Love's light.
What matters most lies within. Our "within" determines how we meet the world.
We don't need to retreat from the world in order to engage Love's energy. Instead, as we encounter the needs of those before us, we can let our fear fall away so that Love can find a pathway through us to others. As Love passes through the bud that lives within each of us, it nourishes what matters most – the garden that lies within.
Rev. Erie Chapman
Journal of Sacred Work 
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