I am remembering~ways to live with isolation and uncertainty

dear friends experiencing loneliness, anxiety, or fear,

i am there too, some days.

i am practicing two ways to ease my loneliness, separation from loved ones, grief for humanity and uncertainty of this moment as we reside with COVID-19.

may these practices help you or a loved one~

practice one:
i have been thinking of my grandparents and what they lived through, as immigrants, legal and illegal, coming to a new country, working the land, in Hawaii to pick pineapples under difficult labor conditions and later as farmers, gardeners, merchants.  they lived through incarceration, family separation, a world war and nurtured a family over generations.

 in this moment i am called to remember my ancestors, their struggles and triumphs, imperfections and wounds, joys and delights. they survived many conditions that shook them up, reminding me of how we are shaken today.

with more time for reflection, a benefit of sheltering in place, i am remembering that growing up, we had a family altar and offered steamed rice, a red or pink camellia, or a tree ripened tangerine or persimmon from the garden to our ancestors.

we offered gratitude daily as we put our hands together,
in gassho
and bowed. a practice we continue.

i'm calling in all my ancestors~

 blood ancestors, grandparents, great grandparents and beyond who lived their lives as immigrants, survivors of war, discrimination, racism and those in Japan survivors of atomic bombs.

spiritual ancestral teachers, some known, some unknown who continue to help to guide and inspire me;  Dogen, Basho, Shantideva, Shinran, Gandhi, Maya Angelou, Grace Lee Boggs, Audre Lorde, Nelson Mandela.

land ancestors, finding solace in the trees and clear memories of bathing in forests of cedar and fir, held in their presence feeling safe, serene, and at home.  each morning we walk amongst dozens of shades of green, leaves and foliage in countless shapes, a visual symphony greets us.  recalling the mountains  and mountain ranges we have been lucky to have walked,  appreciating their grace, strength and solidity.  remembering the Earth is continually healing and repairing herself.

 we are trees, mountains, rivers, minerals, air, fire, soil.

 welcoming the ancestors daily, offering a bow to feeling supported by blood, land, spirit.

our family ancestor altar-Buddhist, Jewish, of Japan, Russia, Hungary and beyond

 our altar as antidote to isolation and anxiety.

practice two:
while sheltering in place,  handwrite one love note a day or reach out to one friend who might need to hear a caring voice. write from the heart. instead of rushing, compose each sentence as if each is a gift from your precious heart to another's precious heart.

pause,  address the envelope as a meditation,  make it an offering, a meditation of your precious breath, of lovingkindness, of compassion imbuing the envelope and its contents with deep attention, intention, and affection.

offer your precious presence by deeply listening to a friend on the phone, share a poem or song through voice memo.  listen for a time without interruption or the desire to offer advice.  offer a few minutes of sitting quietly together listening to three breaths, deeply, fully, wholly. take a chance to show a part of you that's real and vulnerable.

in living with uncertainty of our pandemic, i'm practicing not knowing when i might be with my loved ones again and some days my heart splits open. and when i acknowledge feeling shattered, it is easier to express how they have enriched my life. can i be a good friend in this moment of physical distancing?  how can i be more fully present? what is most important to convey to ones I care for so deeply?

the ancestors are calling me into this moment~

wake up dear one. we have been waiting for you.
look at this pandemic as your appointment to remember what is most important.