A Breath Meditation

As you breathe, feel the earth beneath your feet.
Feel the earth supporting you, grounding you, feeding you.
This land was once covered by the ocean. It has been a beach, a forest, a farm, and a home.

As you breathe, feel the warmth of the sun. The sun has risen before you in the east and set behind you in the west millions of times before. Remember that we are here for a brief moment in time...and that we must live our lives to the fullest.

As you breathe, feel the moistness of the air, the dampness of the ground. There is water in every living thing here. It has been salt water in the oceans, water vapor in the clouds, rain and snow and ice a thousand times over. Remember that everything changes; we change everything we touch, and everything we touch, changes us.

As you breathe, feel the air moving in and out of your lungs. You share your breath with every living person, animal, and plant on this planet. You are connected to every living thing.

As you breathe, remember your ancestors --- your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents, and generations before them. Each of them had a day like this, a day filled with promise of new beginnings, hope for the future, perhaps some doubt and apprehension. You carry their history with you, and you will add to that story in the years to come.