A love note from Melanie
Hello dear one,
Today I decided it was time for a love note. I acknowledge that this note of love comes in the midst of such collective suffering - gun violence, war, and discrimination. I marvel at the many things that exist in me at once - a deep and enduring capacity to love, and the grief of my heart breaking over and over. Never just one thing. I hold the pieces tenderly, and take another deep breath in and out.
This past week, I was reminded of so much love. I witnessed the wedding of a dear childhood friend Dani in Atlanta (friends since 3rd grade!), and stumbled across Martin Luther King Jr.'s former church on a city street corner - Ebenezer Baptist. Nearby, Dr. King’s words flow into a reflecting pool: “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.” My partner and I walked this sacred ground in silence, humbled, each of us in our own way committed to the Beloved Community.
Later that week, I flew to New York City and reunited with two of my best friends, Ellen and Hannah, who opened their homes and schedules to me. Finally I landed in upstate New York for a conference bringing together teachers and innovators from many Buddhist lineages, a conference three years in the making that sparked new connections and ideas for sangha building.
I got sick with a fever and chills on day 2 of the conference, and left early - feeling ashamed of my body, disappointed and weary. Just today, I found myself seeing my sorrow anew, and embracing my body - fragile, fallible, capable of illness and also deep healing and wellness. Remembering that I too am of the capacity to grow old and become sick. I cannot escape sickness and old age, but I can accept it as part of this human condition.
Restoring this body, I breathe in.
Dwelling in collective love, I breathe out.
Here's the speech I wrote for the conference talk, unspoken, on Engaged Buddhism. It’s not perfect, written while sick. I share it to celebrate the clarity of aspiration and the imperfection of prose. It too is a work in progress.
https://melaniegin.com/building-mlks-beloved-community/
Love,
Melanie