Last Tuesday, I received a gift of Tibetan Prayer beads as a thank you for judging our writing group’s contest.

To be honest, I was hoping they would contain the bad thoughts that bubble up inside me and bring me inner peace. Apparently, I have to work for those things. Still, each of the beads mean something different, and inner peace is one of the attributes of the beads.

After the bombings in Pakistan, Beirut, and Paris over the weekend, I’ve come up with a new use. I’ll count my blessings and use the red and black beads to pray that others in this areas are able to do the same.

I do not have it in me to be a pacifist, but I am a human being capable of empathy and I chose to exercise that ability.