Brother Richard

And drawing your attention now back to your breath,

to the ebb and flow, the rise and fall of the breath.

Being with the breath as the background music of our entire life.

We follow the breath to that point where the in-breath becomes the out-breath, where the out-breath becomes the in-breath.

That place of absolute stillness,

in the very middle of the breath cycle, really trying to find that point where the one becomes the other and settling at that place, feeling its depth, feeling its spaciousness, feeling its peace,

And as we rest in that place, we can say inwardly to ourselves, I am I, a human being, a center of pure consciousness and will, embodied, filled with passing thoughts and feelings.

but present to myself in this moment, in the totality of my being.

And I choose now to meditate for myself and for all who are in need, all the while just breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in and breathing out, resting in the breath, stable in the moment, receiving the grace of the present moment, dwelling in peace, breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And gently then begin to draw your attention back to the connection between your feet, your legs, the floor.

Begin to feel the chair beneath you, the cushion under you, and take a moment to make the intention to bring the peace of this meditation with you into every encounter, into every action.

Begin to move your fingers and your toes,

to perhaps stretch a little, and then allow the sound of the bell to draw you back to the activity of the day.

Thank you.

Welcome back.

In today's meditation, we complete our journey through the great canticle of the creatures of St.

Francis.