In this episode of Balanced Mind - Julie Potiker leads you through a quiet compassion meditation. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Awakening", by Vera Haldy-Regier.

Awakening, by Vera Haldy-Regier

Oh, lilacs,

once again, your splendor

delights my senses and speaks

of the many past spring times of youth

that promised lo ve, lifted my heart

and then dashed it into the heat of summer

with all its sensual excess

older and furrowed now,

I apologize for the gratitude

not then spoken

wagering you would return unbidden

as though you were unexceptional

wiser now, I embrace your exceptional fragrance

and dare not pluck your blossoms

from the wood that streams its life

instead, I plant my humble basil

and know the scent it will bestow on my evening meal

and the delight it will impart to

wanderers who know basil-worth

in its singular deep green time.

-Awakening, by Vera Haldy-Regier

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.

Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.com

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