Read this sentence“It is hard to clear 10-15 minutes in my daily schedule to sit still in silence and solitude.” How silly does it sound? Do you chat on the telephone, surf the internet, watch television? How long do you spend on any one of these passive diversions? Then, why do you find it difficult to find 10-15 minutes of quiet? Why do you think that it is a waste of time, especially now when you know it’s benefits? Sitting quietly provides time to settle the sediments of your mind and to become aware that something in you is aware of you being aware of these sediments. Reflect on this for a few minutes and know that as soon as you are aware your mind brings you to the present moment.......

The practitioners of mindfulness meditation who sits in silence and solitude elevate themselves as they realize what it means to live in the awareness of the present moment. When we are aware we are lifted beyond our fleeting emotions and thoughts—painful or cheerful. We feel serenity and true peace. We sense, I’m not my ego self. I’m awareness that is one with the awareness of all—always peaceful and joyful. We are one with our Authentic Self which is always here, now and awake.  What is a life of contemplation? It is to realize that we come to the world alone and we leave alone. Our solitude may be absolute but our life is as meaningful as we make it. Our feelings, thoughts, sensations, activities and relationships are fleeting; but our Authentic Self......

This is my last email about Lewis and Clarke’s expedition toward the western coast. Following the captains to some of the towns and sites that they had discovered made me feel grounded in the country, made the land real for me. To continue, on September 23, 1806, the Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis. An excerpt from Lewis’s letter to President Jefferson reads: “Sir, it is with pleasure that I announce to you the safe arrival of myself and party with our papers and baggage. No accident has deprived us of a single member of our party since I last wrote you from the Mandan in April 1804.” In his reply the President wrote: “I received, my dear Sir, with unspeakable joy your letter of September 23 announcing the......