The first edition of "A Mindful Dialogue" launched Jan. 24, 2010 right after the earthquake in Haiti and was created as a vehicle toward raising the necessary funds to inspire hope and to help rebuild a devastated Haiti. As you well know, the Haiti Earthquake created trauma for millions of people -- physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. In the blink of an eye, millions of people lost friends, family, and community. Hospitals, factories and government agencies turned into rubble. The ability to send and receive communication, resources and food disappeared. That means every single thing that Haitians needed to survive was brought into them from the outside.
"A Mindful Dialogue" raised over $2,000 for Hope for Haiti Now.
Since this time there has been a major flood in Pakistan and a striking cholera outbreak in Haiti, and now more than ever, the children of Egypt are in the midst of violent clashes putting them at risk for death, injury or psychological trauma. The children still need our help!
One of the greatest gifts of mindfulness is that it inspires kindness and compassion in us. I've expanded "A Mindful Dialogue" into a second edition to include some more interviews and writings with leaders in the field, including Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield, Daniel Siegel, Sharon Salzberg, Tara Brach, Zindel Segal, Rick Hanson, Jeff Brantley and others who share their thoughts on how mindfulness can help us deal with stress, pain and difficult emotions. Interspersed throughout these interviews, you'll read inspiring quotes from more leaders like Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron, Rumi, Hafiz and others, with explorations on how their wisdom applies directly to our daily lives.
One hundred percent of the proceeds of "A Mindful Dialogue" will go to Save the Children, which is currently providing health support, education, youth development and shelter to the children of Egypt, victims of the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti and the flood in Pakistan, and people in many other places around the world. The money goes to sponsor children around the world who are victims of disastrous circumstances.
"A Mindful Dialogue" was a labor of love, and I deeply thank you for considering purchasing this book and supporting the children all around the world.
May the words you read in "A Mindful Dialogue" continue to inspire hope, belief and practical ways to work with your own stress, pain and difficult emotions.
***
As always, please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction creates a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.
Elisha Goldstein is author of the upcoming book "The Now Effect" and co-author of "A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. To read more of Elisha, visit his blog, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy at Psychcentral.com, or subscribe here. You may also find him at www.drsgoldstein.com.