Blessings

I practice Buddhism, which for me is not a belief nor a religion but an ethical framework and a way of life that includes daily meditation and reflection. It is a custom in Buddhism, when death comes for a loved one, to create an altar of respect and love, reflecting the spirit of the one who has passed. The altar remains in place for 49 days from the day of death. And so I have this altar in my home, and I will keep it, changing it from time to time, until September 5, the 49th day.

As I contemplate the altar, I hold in my heart the blessings I received from Palesa, the blessings the world received from her. I contemplate the blessings sent her way during her lifetime and since it ended. The Go-Fund-Me has reached nearly $20K, and that will help her sister Lebo create a home and possibilities for Palesa's children beyond anything Palesa knew herself. We are deeply grateful to all who contributed and to those who could not contribute but sent their love.

I have fashioned a prayer that I am saying daily until September 5. It goes like this:

In your next life, if you have a next life, may you keep what you cultivated in this life: your capacities for joy, generosity, laughter, and persistence. May you again be passionate and fierce, radiant with life-energy, imagination, delight. May you develop the spirituality you are drawn to, as you did when you trained to be a Sangoma.

In your next life, if you have a next life, may you be born in gentler circumstances than you had this time. May you have adequate shelter, food, and clothing. May you be held and cared for by someone who loves you as you loved your children and as I loved you. May you give and receive love bountifully, and may you be part of a community that offers belonging and playful kindness. May you have a healthy brain, a capable brain with stability and focus. May you use your gifts in service to others, which is all you ever wanted in this life. 

In your next life, if you have a next life, may you delight in your body, may you take joy in the beauties of nature, art, and music; may you express your pleasures and your sexuality freely and without shame. Wherever your energy arises, in whatever part of the world, may the circumstances of your next birth, if you have a next birth, feed your spirit so you can be fully yourself and use your energy to benefit all beings.