Peace is a practice. Or perhaps, more correctly stated, there are many ways to practice Peace. One of them, and I think it adds to all other practices is to pay attention, to notice.

We fasten easily on noticing what is wrong. But we move more deeply into Peace as we notice what is right, what is strong, what is beautiful. Blessing counting.

When we do this we fill up. When our hearts are full of good things, it’s easier to keep creating more. When our minds realize how many blessings there are, it strengthens us to deal with the horrors and helps us not to dwell there even as we work to transform. Noticing the Beauty helps us to become one of those beautiful things. One of my frequent prayerful admonitions to myself is to “Count my blessings and make myself a blessing to be counted.”