holding onto that one pure thought

Master Patanjali tells us that there are 5 paths that lead to enlightenment. One path leads to the next, and the way we progress is through meditation. It is only by cultivating the ability to focus the mind on a single object and stay there with analysis that we can quiet and re-direct the mind to understand how our world really works. Then, using the four infinite thoughts of love, compassion, joy and equanimity, we open our hearts and maintain our peace of mind. This is a gross simplification, however I state it to set up my experience this morning. While meditating, I focused my mind on a person with whom I have been having conflict. I saw him clearly. Although initially I thought about the difficulties we've been having, I then recalled all the things I love about him, and all the valuable things I have learned from knowing him. I reminded myself that he has no self existent, set in stone qualities. And my feelings have no self-existent, set in stone qualities. My feelings about him change. And what I sometimes label as difficult qualities could just as easily be labeled thorough, careful, or cautious. My feelings and the labels are coming from me. My experience is not coming at me -- it is coming from me. I then applied the four infinite thoughts toward him, and toward myself when I'm feeling distressed about him. And as I was doing this, the feelings and labels just dissolved. I saw him as an angel and holy teacher, emenating not from outside of me, but from me. And I realized that when I direct the four infinite thoughts to something that feels like it is coming from outside of me, I am ultimately directing them towards myself because my whole experience of the world is coming from me. And when I realized this, my heart burst open with love, like a flower blooming in fast forward. What a wonderful feeling. I have felt in love with everyone and everything all day. Now, if I can just hold on to this beautiful pure thought...