"Let Us Fill Our Hearts..."

Today I attended a Celebration of Life memorial service for Bob, the husband of my colleague/friend Steve held in First Unitarian Church of Portland. His vocation/avocation was to minister and promote peace. Bob had a rich and fascinating life, including spending time with Thich Nhat Hanh. One of the readings was a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Let us be at peace with our bodies and our minds.
Let us return to ourselves and become wholly ourselves.
Let us be aware of the source of being,
common to us all and to all living things.

Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion,
let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—
towards ourselves and towards all living beings.

Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be
the cause of suffering to each other.

With humility, with awareness of the existence of life,
and of the suffering that are going on around us,
let us practice the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.”

During the service I noticed the giant tapestry hanging in the front of the sanctuary and realized the design was also of a Tree of Life, featured in my most recent blip. The service featured lovely music, commentaries, and photos. 

Growing up Catholic, there was always a large cross. It might be designed in a contemporary style or more traditionally, it featured Christ on the cross. I will say this stylistic Tree of Life offers a more peaceful image than that of Christ, nails in his hands and feet, blood dripping from a gash in his side and a crown of thorns cutting into his brow.

The church was filled with standing room only and the memorial was a celebration of a life well-lived.