Welcome,
Friend!
Let the greeting penetrate so you are able to welcome others you meet this day,
And you can welcome each other from a deep inner place.
Continue welcoming yourself now in silence.
Let any sounds recede.
Let silence emerge here.
Add a quiet moment to a quiet moment.
As thoughts come,
Let them go.
Let go over and over again,
Always returning to the silence that waits patiently.
Find your body,
Your home here,
What you have in common with all humanity.
Right here,
Give loving attention to each part,
Feet,
Legs,
Waist,
Chest,
Arms,
Head,
And thus wake up and love the whole,
Your whole physical being.
Move this process deeper.
Attend to your emotional body.
Bring energy,
Acceptance,
And expression to your feelings.
Greet what you find as you would a long-lost dear friend.
You would welcome her and encourage her to tell her story.
Let your feelings tell their stories.
Long ago,
On a main island,
A friend of mine embodied friendship by treating me right then and there as though I were the person I dearly wanted to be.
He saw through me right down into my soul,
And we related soul to soul.
Show your soul.
May you befriend yourself today and therefore be available to both yourself and your friends,
Old and new.
Your gift today is friendship.