There are signs of life in the stalemate of spring. This weekend I have been in a retreat entitled Control to Compassion by Fr. Michael Crosby and it echoes the outside world. If we can let go, something much more amazing will break through. Crosby has been doing this challenging work for decades. If we relinquish control and move to compassion our lives can be transformed. Compassion, he attests, is the greatest power in the universe.

If we can relate to one another with care instead of anger and judgment, healing will spring up. Like the sap awaiting the warmth of the spring sun before it can flow easily, compassion longs to be freed as a reconciling force in this world, building healthy relationships and restoring broken ones. What would it take for you to be more compassionate in your day to day dealings? If you resisted the temptation to be right and instead really listened to the other person, what would that cost you? Suppose you acted out of care instead of trying to sway the person to your point of view, how would that change the interaction?

One more day of this workshop and I should be ready to take on the challenge myself of relinquishing control and embracing compassion.

Peace,

Suzanne