Warrior-Spirit Prayer of Awakening: I carry this poem of hope as I move through my days

Poem: “May I Lead the Life of a Warrior” by Rev. angel Kyodo Williams (©MMI)

May all beings be granted with the strength, determination
and wisdom to extinguish anger and reject violence as a way.
May all suffering cease and may I seek, find and fully
realize the love and compassion that already lives within
me and allow them to inspire
and permeate my every action.
May I exercise the precious gift
of choice and the
power to change that makes me uniquely human and is the only true path to liberation.
May I swiftly reach complete, effortless freedom so that
my fearless, unhindered action
be of benefit to all.

When I was visiting Alaska, I went on an adventure with my husband to see the bears. It was a beautiful peaceful experience sitting on a log by the river, watching the bears come to catch Salmon. The mother bear was strong and protective of her cubs. Never far away as the cubs were splashing in the water. We could see several families come to the river, the cubs following close behind the mother bear. It was exhilarating sitting in this calm place by the river, watching the bear’s gentle strength. I felt this incredible energy being connected with the bears on this small island. I never imagined I could sit so still in silence and take it all in. It was fascinating and spiritual in the simplicity of their salmon fest and water play.

I often long for this peace to find me. When I face a multitude of challenges, I find my spirit lost in the overwhelm. I get angry and frustrated and make a mountain over the cat balls (to prevent scratching carpet) on the stairway. I walked out of an appointment when I lost all capacity to handle the clerk’s mistake. I miss the smile given to me by a stranger walking by. I take an easier path to avoid conflict, rather than one that brings liberation to all.

I sit by a tree nearby and rest my hand on the rough bark. I breathe with the tree, letting the river’s sound and the bear’s watchfulness settle inside me. I reflect on one recent moment when I felt anger or fear, name it silently, and imagine offering it to the tree to transform into steadiness. I recall, “May I exercise the precious gift of choice and the power to change,” and practice pausing between impulse and action: one breath to notice anger or fear, another to choose compassion. I close by setting an intention: one small act this day that reflects fearless action, choosing again and again the path of compassion.

The image of that bear—fierce, attentive, protective—stays with me as a model of warrior-hearted living: fearless, unhindered love. Seeing her, I feel the call to examine where I meet life with needless force and where I can instead choose care. I carry the poem’s hope to move through my days with more tenderness, choosing again and again the path that benefits all.

Grace and Peace from Elissa Noble McCarthy, Aloha United Methodist Church (2270 SW 198th Ave, Beaverton). Feel free to reach out to us: 503-649-9133, www.alohaumc.org