My prayers are for the Ukrainian people, particularly the children. May their fears be snuffed out by the peace of a strong faith and the perseverance of endless hope. My prayers are for our world leaders. May these leaders only hear and react to the quiet wisdom and guidance that is imparted to all of us by the Divine, for the highest good of us all. May peace reign.
“You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” – Malcom X
“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.” – Black Elk
“I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace.” – Helen Keller
“Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations… entangling alliances with none.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures, it is our gift to each other.” – Elie Wiesel
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Well said, Kelly. My prayers for peace are floating out there, too.
I believe there are prayers warriors everywhere today, Gail. <3
Collectively we’ve known for decades that Russia is dangerous. Even after the fall of the Soviet Union there was never a sense that the danger had eased; more than anything, the question was, “Well, who has their finger on the button now??” The world has always experienced a high level of uncertainty with the leadership of that country.
Last night I was driving home from my sister’s house, a two hour drive through the heart of Los Angeles traffic. I was listening to a local talk radio station (for traffic updates, of course) and the host of the show was Tim Conway, Jr. Normally, his show is lighthearted and fun, but last night it was a different story. His crew was monitoring multiple news outlets, and he joked, “If Ukraine pops, we’ll be the first to let you know.” Less than 10 minutes later, his tone changed as reports began coming in from CNN and we realized that it was happening – we all heard the reporter say, “The invasion has begun.” And then there was the sound of explosions and the news reporter’s voice expressed disbelief and fear as he reported mortar strikes and bombs falling nearby. Here was the entire world, watching and listening in real time as a war commenced.
I remember thinking, “He did it. Putin actually went through with it. The man is crazy. His ego has run amok. He is so distanced from his humanity; he has no regard for the thousands of innocent people that will suffer. He literally doesn’t care. His desire for power outweighs every other emotion. God save us all.”
And then Fox News began interviewing former president Trump, whose own overblown ego led him to brag that he knows Putin very well, and that Putin was warned not to move forward with his plan to annex Ukraine. He then condemned the current administration, stressing that this war didn’t happen on HIS watch, and that if he was still president, it wouldn’t be happening now. All I could think is, what the hell is wrong with this man? He’s making it sound like a schoolyard scuffle, not a situation where innocent people are being slaughtered because they happen to live on land that is rich in natural resources that the rest of Russia doesn’t have.
At this point, all we can do is pray for common sense and decency to prevail. Let’s just keeping putting positive energy out to the universe and lift up the ordinary people on both sides of the conflict because they are the ones who will suffer.
It is surreal to see war happening on so many fronts with the way technology is today. Thank you for sharing your experience, Kelly. <3