Today I feel very grateful. I am hosting a beautiful rooftop reception for the members of my community tonight. Over the weekend I have been focusing my meditations on loving kindness because it provides me comfort in troubling times.  Loving-kindness encompasses compassion for myself and for those I love and the world at large. Being part of a loving community is very important to get us through days like these.  Racism is staring us all in the face (here in Canada and around the world) and we need to band together and let the world know that we won’t stand for it. Recently I read a book called “Behold the Dreamers”  – it was a beautifully written book about the days after the market crashed in 2009. Centred on the experience of an immigrant family trying to find their way to citizenship in the United States and the drastic parallels of a rich man (and his family) trying to find his integrity while working at Leman Brothers just before the company imploded. Sadly the outcome isn’t what we hoped but yet we are left with hope.

Here are three ways to get in touch with your compassionate heart brought to you by Mindful:

1) First, acknowledge feelings of anger. Take 3 minutes and try this mindfulness practice for dealing with one of our strongest emotions.

2) Then, practice loving-kindness. Explore this 20-minute loving-kindness practice to extend compassion to yourself, those around us, and the larger world.

3) Finally, articulate your thoughts, values, and explore conversations with those around you. Here are 9 guideposts for keeping it real while engaging in meaningful communication.