Daryl Wood's Blog

“Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me.” Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller

Let it begin with me being at peace within myself. Peace in my mind – letting go of the stories and beliefs that distract me or instill fear and judgement. Peace in my body – slowing down my overactive nervous system to let my body recover from the stress it is carrying. Peace in my heart – allowing myself to move through the range of natural emotions so I can tap into the joy and love that still lives there.

And let it begin with me feeling love and acceptance of others with all their quirky ways and self-destructive behaviours and questionable words and actions. Let it begin with my feeling deep, sobering gratitude for the ‘in-the-moment’ unconditional love and support that may not last but is essential in saving me from myself. And let it begin with me seeing others as the beautiful beings they are in spite of their rejection or criticism or exclusion. Let it begin with me knowing we are all more alike than different and seeing the generosity, compassion, wisdom and gentleness in others creates connection.

Let it begin with me knowing full well from my core that what I do makes a difference. That we all have, whether or not we know and whether or not we choose to act on it, the power to create peace in the world around us by how we treat ourselves and others. Let it begin with me remembering that every single one of us was born whole and holy and what we see is learned behaviour that we may like or not like.

Let there be peace in every corner of my world and let me look for it with quiet curiousity.

Let it begin with me acknowledging that I walk this path once and only once and that even in acute grieving for my beloved Doug and I can still choose, at only 20 weeks in, to be kind. We can all choose authentic kindness where we might otherwise harbour resentment or blame. Let it begin with me. Let it begin with us.