When you see

Love Me Tender

do you think of Elvis’s song?

Tender

is not a word

I think of.

Compassion

kindness

mindfulness

are in use

as our culture

invites us

to shift

to

an inner

thoughtfulness

then

reaching

outward

to others.

During

a meditative reading

I was invited to

 “make peace

with our suffering, treating it

tenderly,

and looking deeply

at the roots of our pain.”

“Tenderly”

caressed me.

I felt held

in

love and

forgiveness

for myself

and others.

Tears

helped me

realize

that

tenderness

is

a way

I want

to settle into.

Holding my babies

rocking

tenderly

came

as an image

of feelings

of tenderness.

Clearly

my tears

let me know

that

tenderness

offers me

a place to

let myself be

and rest.

Do I hold myself

tenderly?

A quiet

and powerful

question.

My reaction

lets me know

that holding

myself

tenderly,

with love,

patience

and forgiveness

is the word

that evokes

deep feelings

of grace

and healing.

Love Me Tender.

Thich Nhat Hanh No Mud, No Lotus -The Art of Transforming Suffering p. 81

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