Dedication

I was checking sitemeter stats for my jewelry blog and there was a banner ad for monster.com. (A job networking site.)

The ad had a portrait photo of a glowing black woman, Tamra. And a quotation which read "I will dedicate my life to promoting literacy in children and adults."

Every day, and multiple times a day, I dedicate the efforts and the fruition of my practice to the benefit of all beings. That statement is real to me. And there are many many moments when I feel that dedication connecting up to something or someone in a very concrete way.

But there is a crispness, a directness in Tamra's quote that I don't feel in my own path. And I would like to have it.

Something to think about.

In the meantime, what about you? How do you finish the sentence?

"I will dedicate my life to..."

Comments

[Bob Whitson]

I am also dedicating my life to literacy in children and adults. I started a program here in Boulder County, CO to mail a book a month to kids from birth to 5 years old. We are now mailing 260 books a month to kids in this age range. If anyone wants to know about this program--send me an e-mail.
Take care
Bob
howling@cyberonic.com
http://bobwhitson.typepad.com/howlings/

[Becky]

Although the most enduring thing I've dedicated my life to is making beautiful things (music, art, stories), at present I'm tryin' to pick up the pieces o' my life and put myself back together. I'm thinkin' if I ever get to a good place again, I'll dedicate my life to makin' beautiful things that help people to end their suffering.

[mahala]

Hey Bob, when I saw that you'd left a comment, I felt certain you'd be writing about your environmental commitment or your political action. This book program sounds great. I wish you continuing success.

Sounds like you are going through a rough time, Becky. Whatever it is, don't feel like you have to get your life together before you can ease others' pain. Without question, I was at my most compassionate in the years that my head injury was at it's worst. I could identify with suffering because I was experiencing so much of it. I think I still have to "work" now at being as effortlessly compassionate as I was then.

[Fran]

I'd dedicate my life at my age anyway to being in the moment, fully present, no matter what I'm doing. I did so many years of "making a difference" in so many ways and as an elder now, I just want to be here now, as Ram Dass would say.

[Alicia]

I will dedicate my life to becoming the best me I can, for myself and for others in my life.

What a great thing, to create your own mission statement! It really helps clarify the important things in life, doesn't it?

[Rachel Ann]

I dedicate myself to making this world a bit better in any way I can,
both in small ways and large.

[Siona]

It's hard to reply to such an overwhelmingly important phrase without sounding trite; thus I do admire the precision of the monster.com quotation.

As for me, though, I dedicate my life to love: love for myself, so that I might love others, and in doing so awaken love for their own sweet selves. I dedicate my life to compassion. I dedicate my life to healing. I dedicate my life to awareness. But I am being redundant.

Because my response to Fran's post is that there is no contradiction between 'making a difference' and 'being in the moment, fully present.' The two are the same.

[Tinne]

I dedicate myself to leaving things better than when I came. It sounds rather bold and I don't know if it is possible to always do it but I remember my mother saying "I have always left places better than when I found them." and I thought that was the best thing anyone could hope for. So even if all I can do is pick up a piece of litter or offer a smile, it is my intension to help wherever I am.