I have been exploring the concept of happiness lately, specifically from the Buddhist perspective. My exploration has caused me to ponder: Is happiness fleeting? Meaning, does it come, go, pass through us, even pass us by at times? Or, can we connect with happiness at any time if we choose?

"Your parents did the best they could (and still are)."  For many, this statement is a difficult one to grasp. Especially if one's childhood was not ideal (for most people, this is the case).

Folks oftentimes argue that their parents "should have known better." Sure, we could all "know better" if we are given the healthy resources and tools. However, a lot of parents (especially the older generations) have used the skills they observed from their parents, or they did the best they could to parent on their own,  for instance, if their parent(s) were absent or abusive.

There are no accidents and everything happens for a reason. Divine grace lives within us all as a glowing internal light, if only we could learn how to tap into it regularly....

Beautiful, isn't it? This notion that every single thing happens for a reason. Think about it; are things really as finite as they seem; with solid beginnings and endings? Or are they more fluid and ever-changing? Isn't change the only constant? What if we were taking this life of ours way too seriously and way too personally? Forgetting that we all have a divine purpose, and it is truly up to us to figure out what it is?

The last few weeks have been rather challenging for me as I have missed my mother tremendously. More than a yearning to have her here on earth (she indeed is much more at peace in her new home), I have felt a deep-seated sadness and longing for that maternal connection I had with her since childhood.

We are fragile, handle each other with care...

I recently lost someone very close and dear to my heart: my mother. The pain of something like this is truly indescribable. I was at a loss for words last week as I swam in deep and varied emotions that fluctuated between shock and dismay to numbness and unreality.  Thus, I was unable to write last week's Monday Meditation.