Bloom Like the Lotus

Last night, I recalled a wonderfully deep conversation with my youngest son, Elijah Kent, who now lives in Seattle. While I miss him significantly, I am in awe of his accomplishments and growth as a young gentleman. I appreciate conversations with my sons, Gabriel, Samuel, and Elijah.

While my sons were growing up, we enjoyed deep spiritual connections through openly sharing and discussing their inquiries about life. While I certainly did not have all the answers, I never tired of their questions. Young people must be able to ask questions and pursue their understanding. I admit I did get some gray hairs from their antics exploring the many boundaries society places for some excluded from blossoming as they should.

It is fun when your children become young adults. Elijah and I reflected and were delighted by how much we have grown as human beings. The opportunities God places before us strengthen us, and the many lessons we learn translate into wisdom, a kind of Satori--- if you will.

My three sons know I have persevered through much in my life. Sometimes, I am silent and often articulate my thoughts in poems or prose. I only share my most intimate thoughts with the Creator in song each sunrise to express gratitude for the day. This morning, I remember what a beloved elder shared with me not too long ago. "If our people restore 'our traditional ways,' if our people love and help one another, Creator will bring back the blessings in abundance. The huckleberries will hang heavy on the vines, the roots will be plentiful to dig, the elk and the deer will roam healthily, the salmon will be abundant and jump out of the rivers to remind us of better days, the winged ones, and the four legged's will live peacefully amongst us, the forest will be full of life, and the land will be prosperous for harvesting healthy food to nurture our elders and young."

Still, beloved, we must first recognize and turn away from what we were assimilated to believe was the only way. There are many ways, and sometimes, the simplest way is the healthiest for peaceful coexistence--this is what I have come to understand.

Not every answer to humanities problems need to be complex, technical, or seemingly impossible. The simpler ways—sharing rather than amassing, appreciating rather than complaining, and doing rather than waiting for someone else to get it done—enhance our communities and nation and illustrate to the world what can be done in peace. Sometimes, we forget the very cultural traditions that represent our appreciation for our lives and the blessings we have received. I also need to remember not to get caught up in absorbing too much stimulus, nonsensical information, and other people's rage. It's tough; this grieving for the lost, the angry, the dispossessed, the ones who refuse to think about the greater good because "nothing will work" with the rigid and closed-off heart does little to proactively or positively enhance the lives of all human beings. Being greedy and thinking only of oneself is unhealthy for all of us, nor will it bless our collective community--but it is challenging--especially these days. I understand.

So, I encourage you to return to the respectful, healthy way of compassion. We must honor our elders and raise our young to understand how noble and fortunate we are. The elders and ancestors were right—the blessings will return when we become "who we were created to be." We must honor one another by extending kindness and compassion.

Throughout my career, my staff and colleagues would jokingly remark, " You are too nice."I am often told I am naive, too optimistic, too forgiving, and too hopeful, perhaps, but this is how Creator-God knitted me. So why should I be reticent or ashamed of who and what I was created to be? I welcome you to reflect on the lotus as well.

I believe in what my precious elder shared with me. I have seen blessings return to reservations, devastated urban communities, excluded and isolated communities, and, yes, even communities where hate has suffocated the life out of love. Yet, one rarely observes the possibility of positive transformation on the web, airwaves, and social media. I believe in the transformative power of human love and our human families' capability to love, forgive, and care.

I hope to live and see blessings return to our nation and our world, which is less expansive than we think. We are connected, brothers and sisters; we are all connected. I know in my heart of hearts that positive transformation will only surface when we focus our energy on being kind, being helpful, and being loving--the blessings will return when we honor one another with compassion despite our philosophical and political differences. The Inuit ancestors and elders were right. We can change our globe's off-axis spin and our communities' downward trajectory by being genuinely grateful for what we have available to all of us if we are willing to share and work toward collaborative, proactive, positive, loving change.

Bloom as the lotus-- bloom brightly, my friends; stretch out your beautiful petals of humanity today and every day. You are so lovely to me. We can rise out of the mud and become our finest selves.

Love-always, Elizabeth Asahi Rising Sun Sato

#risetoexcellence