Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Opening a book to a random page or two
Sometimes it's fun to open spiritual books to a random page and realize that whatever gem is on that page is useful to contemplate such as this one today on page 112 in Only Love:
The striving devotee ought also to adopt a neutral attitude toward life; not callous indifference, but rather, as Paramahansaji has said, "Instead of cultivating endless desires, which do not always bring happiness, think of life in this way: 'Lord, you have put me in this body. I didn't ask to be born. It is You who are dreaming my existence.'" In other words, realize that you, and all other forms of life, are but condensed or materialized thoughts of God. All that we are, all that we have, belongs to Him; of ourselves we are nothing. In Him, we have everything; in Him, we are everything. In that consciousness let us perform good works, let us enjoy the good fruits of this life.
And from page 45 in the same book:
Be an example of what you want others to be...change yourself! That is the best way to change those around you. It is hard to do, but it can be done. One's effort should be directed toward making himself a person who is respected and looked up to; whose word carries weight.
And from page 46:
So long as you show nervousness and tension around your husband or wife or children, they will react and behave in a similar way. It can't be otherwise. So if you want a different atmosphere in your home, you have to take the initiative. Do not expect an overnight change in your family. That seldom happens; change is a slow, natural process. And even if it never comes, do not be discouraged or overly concerned. Guruji used to say to us, "God gave every human being a blessed gift: the privacy of his own thoughts. Therein he can live and silently create a companionship and understanding with God that will gradually begin to reflect on his entire life -- including his relationships with his family, his community, his world." Even if those around you do not change perceptibly, the change that is wrought within yourself makes you less vulnerable to the misbehavior of others.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Living with Ambivalence
A Swim in Denial
What we can't think about and how it shapes us.
by Kirby Farrell, Ph.D.
Ambivalence can be paralyzing, exasperating, or intimidating when you
have to admit that we're of two minds (at least) about everything.
The idea began to intrigue me when I found to my amazement that most
(smart) college students I asked were unable to define ambivalence. They
confused it with ambiguity and equivocation. The concept that we have
conflicted feelings and attitudes about everything seemed strange to
them, or only hazily familiar.
The truth is, ambivalence is everywhere and worth knowing about. For
instance, you're telling somebody what you really want to get done
today, and you sit there earnestly elaborating the details, over and
over and over, until your friend finally gets up saying, "Well, I
shouldn't keep you," pulling the ambivalence alarm to get you moving.
=============================================================
Sometimes Agony and Ecstasy Coexist
Humans are capable of being happy and sad simultaneously.
Published by Adam Alter in Alternative Truths
Emotions arise from deep within our reptilian brains, and we sometimes
mistake their primitiveness for simplicity. When someone says they're
feeling a certain way, we have a pretty good idea of what that means; we
have an intuitive sense of what it means to be happy and sad, hateful
and enamored, proud and embarrassed--but what dawned on me during my
blissfully painful run was how often we experience two seemingly
contradictory emotions simultaneously.
Many films similarly inspire happiness and sadness simultaneously. Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful is one
such film, as Benigni's character tries to shield his son from the
horrors of the Nazi death camps by turning life into a game. The
audience laughs at Benigni's clownish antics one minute, and remembers
the terrible gravity of the backdrop the next minute. (The critics felt
similarly ambivalent: the Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert lauded the
film for finding "the right notes to negotiate its delicate subject
matter," whereas Salon.com's Charles Taylor complained about "the sheer
callous inappropriateness of comedy existing within the physical reality
of the camps.")
============================================================
How to Handle Multiple Desires
Desire is complicated, and we often feel ambivalent about what we want most
Published by Leslie C. Bell, Ph.D., LCSW in Hard to Get
Many of us, it turns out, want seemingly contradictory things. We want to be independent but we also want to be taken care of. We want a respectful and communicative partner but we also are drawn to people who are distant.
Desire is a complicated thing, and pretty much always involves some ambivalence. We rarely want one thing completely and purely. More often than not, and particularly when it comes to things that really matter like love and career, we have mixed feelings about what we want. So ambivalence doesn't mean not wanting something, it simply means being conflicted about what you want.
If you find yourself feeling that two desires are incompatible, for
example for a relationship and a career (or insert other "for example" desires here), question that assumption and
challenge yourself to imagine having both.
============================================================
I would have to say that I have lived and continue to live most of my life in ambivalence (work, relationships, diet, exercise, politics, religion, societal expectations, cultural norms), the one exception being my spiritual life or spirituality in general -- the more, the better. And perhaps because I am NOT ambivalent about spirituality, the conflicts I experience in the rest of my life don't cause undue discomfort (most of the time). Or maybe it's because I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Gemini.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Quotations and A Sweet Prayer
Quotations from Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, O.F.M. Cap.
"Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer."
"Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God's heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but with your heart. In fact on certain occasions you should only speak to Him with your heart."
"Fear not because God is with you."
"Prayer is the oxygen of the soul."
"Who can assure us that we will be alive tomorrow? Let us listen to the voice of our conscience, to the voice of the royal prophet: 'Today, if you hear God's voice, harden not your heart.' Let us not put off from one moment to another (what we should do) because the (next moment) is not yet ours. "
"Oh, how precious time is! Blessed are those who know how to make good use of it. Oh, if only all could understand how precious time is, undoubtedly everyone would do his best to spend it in a praiseworthy manner!"
"The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain."
"The longer the trial to which God subjects you, the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of the trial and in the exaltation after the combat."
"Even if you were to commit all the sins in the world, Jesus would repeat to you: 'Many of your sins are forgiven because you have loved much.'"
"Pray, pray to the Lord with me, because the whole world needs prayer. And every day, when your heart especially feels the loneliness of life, pray. Pray to the Lord, because even God needs our prayers."
Stay with me, Lord
Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Jesus, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches! I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, because in this life with all its dangers, I need You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. So be it. Amen.
"Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer."
"Prayer is the best weapon we have; it is the key to God's heart. You must speak to Jesus not only with your lips, but with your heart. In fact on certain occasions you should only speak to Him with your heart."
"Fear not because God is with you."
"Prayer is the oxygen of the soul."
"Who can assure us that we will be alive tomorrow? Let us listen to the voice of our conscience, to the voice of the royal prophet: 'Today, if you hear God's voice, harden not your heart.' Let us not put off from one moment to another (what we should do) because the (next moment) is not yet ours. "
"Oh, how precious time is! Blessed are those who know how to make good use of it. Oh, if only all could understand how precious time is, undoubtedly everyone would do his best to spend it in a praiseworthy manner!"
"The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain."
"The longer the trial to which God subjects you, the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of the trial and in the exaltation after the combat."
"Even if you were to commit all the sins in the world, Jesus would repeat to you: 'Many of your sins are forgiven because you have loved much.'"
"Pray, pray to the Lord with me, because the whole world needs prayer. And every day, when your heart especially feels the loneliness of life, pray. Pray to the Lord, because even God needs our prayers."
Stay with me, Lord
Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Jesus, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches! I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, because in this life with all its dangers, I need You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of the bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the Light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. So be it. Amen.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
A rowdy bunch
We may have two ears and one mouth
in order to listen twice as much as we speak, but that kind of thinking hasn't
yet occurred to many kids in Sunday School classes who talk twice as much (if
not more) than they listen. They are surely exuberant!
Today's lesson was indirectly on introspection -- trying to figure out how to know if you've had a good day or a bad day and why (#1) and what the importance of introspection is (#2). Quotes from P.Y.:
Before you go
to bed each night, sit for a short time and review the day. See what you are
becoming. Do you like the trend of your life? If not, change it. By
self-analysis and constant watching of all your actions and thoughts and moods,
you will gradually learn your true nature and how to express it
flawlessly.
Everyone
should learn to analyze himself dispassionately. Write down your thoughts and
aspirations daily. Find out what you are — not what you imagine you are! —
because you want to make yourself what you ought to be. Most people don't
change because they don't see their own faults.
We also
reviewed the Eight Keys of Excellence for building character to which a whole
website has been dedicated (http://www.8keys.org/):
1. Integrity
2. Failure
Leads to Success (aka
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!")
3. Speak
with Good Purpose (or
"Speak softly and carry a big stick" -- ha ha ha -- not!)
4. This
Is It! (Better worded using
the title of Ram Dass' classic, Be
Here Now)
5. Commitment (Make your dreams happen.)
6. Ownership (Take responsibility for actions.)
7. Flexibility (Be willing to do things
differently.)
8. Balance: Be mindful of self and others
while focusing on what’s meaningful and important in your life. Inner happiness
and fulfillment come when your mind, body, and emotions are nurtured by the
choices you make.
When we’re in balance we make time for the things that are
important to us. Staying in balance is an ongoing process about choices. We’re
constantly making choices about what we do, what we say, how we feel, what we
think, etc.
There were
some interesting discussions between noisy periods when all the kids were
seemingly talking at once. It was nice to engage in adult conversation after
Sunday School was over!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Exuberant Human Beings & Gratitude
In a recent issue of DailyGood, there was an article entitled "The 16 Habits of Exuberant Human Beings." I'm going to list the 16 habits, but the Dear Reader would need to find his way to the article itself in order to find out more about each of these habits. And the Dear Reader is also asked to take stock in his own life to see A) how many of these habits are part of his life already and B) if there are any additional habits among these 16 that he would be interested in adding to his current repertoire. So here they are:
1. They surround themselves with other happy people.
2. They smile when they mean it.
3. They cultivate resilience.
4. They try to be happy.
5. They are mindful of the good.
6. They appreciate simple pleasures.
7. They devote some of their time to giving.
8. They let themselves lose track of time. (And sometimes they can't help it.)
9. They nix the small talk for deeper conversation.
10. They spend money on other people.
11. They make a point to listen.
12. They uphold in-person connections.
13. They look on the bright side.
14. They value a good mixtape.
15. They unplug.
16. The get spiritual.
I would wager that the Dear Reader includes most of these habits in his life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK -- from exuberance to gratitude (not too far a leap):
"Grateful: A Love Song to the World"
1. They surround themselves with other happy people.
2. They smile when they mean it.
3. They cultivate resilience.
4. They try to be happy.
5. They are mindful of the good.
6. They appreciate simple pleasures.
7. They devote some of their time to giving.
8. They let themselves lose track of time. (And sometimes they can't help it.)
9. They nix the small talk for deeper conversation.
10. They spend money on other people.
11. They make a point to listen.
12. They uphold in-person connections.
13. They look on the bright side.
14. They value a good mixtape.
15. They unplug.
16. The get spiritual.
I would wager that the Dear Reader includes most of these habits in his life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK -- from exuberance to gratitude (not too far a leap):
"Grateful: A Love Song to the World"
Musicians Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod brought together dozens of people from around the world to create this beautiful, heart-opening melody. Inspired by the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge, the song is a celebration of our spirit and all that is a blessing in life. For the 21 Days, over 11,000 participants from 118 countries learned that “gratefulness” is a habit cultivated consciously and a muscle built over time. As a famous Roman, Cicero, once said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” This soul-stirring music video, created within a week by a team of volunteers, shines the light on all the small things that make up the beautiful fabric of our lives.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Videos to inspire and gladden the heart
Some video links from KarmaTube:
A Mother, a Son, and an iPad
A Mother, a Son, and an iPad
Joshua Seftel is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked on many high-profile film, TV, and radio shows. This video is about a much smaller, much more personal project. Joshua originally bought his mom an iPad to stay in better touch with her after his father passed away last year. Once they began chatting regularly, he quickly realized their talks were something special. And he began filming them so that others could share in the experience. Thus, a web series was born.If Everyone Cared
This music video by Nickelback lauds several examples of individuals who have stood up to injustice, and won. The examples range from Bob Geldof's Live Aid concerts in 1984 to Nelson Mandela's triumphant release from prison in 1989 and election as South Africa's first democratically elected president.Four Fingered Pianist
Born with only four fingers and no legs below the knee, 20 year old Hee-ah Lee is an inspiration to all who know her. Although she began playing the piano at age 7 for therapeutic purposes, she has now become a concert pianist! Disfigured since birth, her mother cared for her as if she were perfect and today, she eats, walks and uses the adjusted piano pedals on her own. "You play with your heart and head--not your fingers," Hee-ah says.75-Year Old Bodybuilding Grandma
"If there ever was an anti-aging pill, I would call it exercise," says Ernestine Shepherd. Behold the breathtakingly magnanimous story of Ernestine, who at the tender age of 71, started competitive bodybuilding. Her true motivational message is to inspire others to exercise and eat correctly. As Ernestine says, "Age is nothing but a number." So watch this BBC video report and join the revolution -- it is never too late to exercise and feel healthy.You Worry About Me. But What About You? Best Anti-Smoking Ad.
We are quick to give thoughtful advice to others; but sometimes we forget to apply that same logic and compassion to ourselves. In this deliciously subversive anti-smoking campaign, created by Ogilvy & Mather for the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, children approach smokers in a surprising way -- with surprising results.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Sweet friendship and heartache
I'm revisiting the story of John Unger and his 19-year-old rescue dog, Schoep (now deceased). The photo that his professional photographer friend took of John and Schoep together went viral back in the summer of 2012. Schoep, whose birthday was celebrated on June 15th, died less than a month later in 2013 after turning 20 years old which is ancient for a medium to large breed dog.
Both John Unger and his photographer friend have experienced a wealth of heartache -- John when his fiancee upped and left him all of a sudden about a year after the two of them had adopted Schoep -- and Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, the professional photographer, after her husband died suddenly following a snowmobile crash in Lake Superior at the tender age of 34.
More about John and Schoep and what they went through together including the time when John was seriously depressed:
The two of them, Hannah and Jim, sounded like a great couple who "wanted to help each other fulfill their dreams -- she as a photographer, he as a fishing guide."
Life is precious!!
Both John Unger and his photographer friend have experienced a wealth of heartache -- John when his fiancee upped and left him all of a sudden about a year after the two of them had adopted Schoep -- and Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, the professional photographer, after her husband died suddenly following a snowmobile crash in Lake Superior at the tender age of 34.
More about John and Schoep and what they went through together including the time when John was seriously depressed:
A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP
Schoep -- named after the Wisconsin-based
Schoep’s Ice Cream -- is a rescue dog.
"My ex-fiancée and I found him at the
Ozaukee Humane Society in Wisconsin in 1996. He was estimated to be 8 to
14 months old. He was in a cage with his sister.
"His sister seemed like a normal
rescue, acclimated to her surroundings and to people. Schoep basically was
sitting as far back in the corner as he could get. My ex got him to come to
her, but he walked with his head down.
"He looked like he was absolutely
defeated, I'll never forget it. We basically nodded and said, 'He's the one.' I
guess I just wanted to help a dog who needed help."
The timid shepherd mix -- who they suspect
may have been abused -- didn't want to interact with Unger.
"At the shelter, he warmed up to my ex,
but he would not come from behind her legs to meet me. So I got a tennis ball
and started rolling it between my knees with my hands. Slowly, that attracted
him. His ears went up. He was curious.
"I did that for a good half-hour, but
he never caught on enough to play catch with me. That's when I realized he had
never played before -- he didn't know how."
A year later, it was Schoep's turn to help
Unger.
"My ex-fiancée broke up with me
abruptly, and I felt myself falling into a depression," he said.
"About a month later, I went down to the breakwater in Milwaukee with thoughts of suicide. Schoep was
with me.
"I looked over at him, and he looked up
at me in a way that sounds like a story, but he looked up at me with a furrowed
brow, almost squinting, a concerned and confused look that I've never seen him
ever make again.
"Right then and there, I decided I
couldn't go through with it, because if I did, who would take care of him? I
had just adopted him, I was not going to abandon this dog. Even on the walk
home, I began to focus more on the dog than myself. I was still depressed, but
I have never been suicidal again.
"I decided to use my energy not to
focus so much on what I was feeling but to give my dog the best life I could.
In the process, I helped myself, too.
"We give animals as much as we can; in
return, they give us their all, no matter how little or how much we give them.
I have given Schoep as much as I can, although it was very little at that time.
He has always given me his all."
The two of them, Hannah and Jim, sounded like a great couple who "wanted to help each other fulfill their dreams -- she as a photographer, he as a fishing guide."
http://www.ashlandwi.com/county_journal/article_2a105934-7c78-11e2-a745-001a4bcf887a.htmlHannah and her husband loved to practice random acts of kindness.“We are very eccentric and focused people who happened to find each other,” she said. “We never had kids because we wanted to take care of other kids — kids that wanted to go fishing, that needed a coat. We just took care of it. Sometimes they didn’t even know about it.”Such acts of kindness are rare in one person, let alone two.While folding laundry at Laundryama, this wise young woman said, “Life is an adventure. You never know what’s going to happen. Be present with your significant other. Don’t take for granted the time with them, because you really truly have no idea what’s going to happen. You can think you do, but you don’t. Do whatever you’re passionate about, because that’s what’s going to make the people who miss you happy for you, because they can say, ‘He lived a good life.’”Jim definitely lived a good life, and he loved to tell jokes, but this was no joke. On Jan. 26, a man of reason, a teacher of extreme safety, forgot to wear his life vest.A fishing buddy, John Esposito, who dived in after him but failed to save his life, said, “I rehearsed it many times in my head for years. It was 90 percent technique, 10 percent luck. When you go out on the ice you need to be 100 percent prepared to get yourself out.”Jim Hudson was not.“I don’t know why, of all people, this happened to him,” Hannah said.She also said, “Jim believed the lake takes care of everyone.”
Christmas Tree
How many people in the U.S. still have a decorated Christmas tree gracing their homes in mid-January? We do!! I suppose we will finally get around to putting ours away this coming weekend. I wonder if H. will finally notice his Christmas card stuck in the branches in back of the tree? Time will tell.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Lost and Found...and Almost Completely Forgotten!
I was trying to sign a post in MB's TOWW blog post from last January and figured that I would use my WordPress user name -- if I could find it! All I could remember was that I had created a WordPress blog some time ago in order to have a place where I could write thoughts pertaining to spiritual growth and enrichment -- and perhaps record progress on life goals that I had set for myself, the main two of which had to do (and still have to do) with exercise and meditation. I will probably go to my grave declaring, "I should have exercised more! I should have meditated more! I should have drunk more water!" Ha! Oh well. I'm not dead yet, so there is still time to work on achieving my goals and becoming more spiritually mature. I might even get organized one of these days, but please, don't hold your breath on that one!
Trying to find any sign of my WordPress blog meant needing to remember which email address it was that I used to create it. Eek!! Just when I had given up hope of ever finding my way back to this little used blog, I tried one more Gmail address -- Eureka! That was the magic key that led me to recover the blog, the name of which I had forgotten, too. Thank goodness for recovery options! So, after going through all that, it ended up that MB's TOWW blog wouldn't accept my WordPress blog user name. Harrumph. So I signed it with my Gmail credentials and that was that.
Today I was thinking about yamas and niyamas and how they form the foundation of one's spiritual life, especially if one's spirituality leans towards Hinduism or yoga philosophy. I like this write-up by William J.D. Doran who has several listings on Google as an artist and as a "Yoga Coach": http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/yoga/eight-limbs.htm
I like how he describes his art:
Inspirational art dedicated to the vibrancy of Spirit
and the expression of human creativity
Looking at images of his artwork, I would say that he has achieved his goal of creating art that shows the vibrancy of Spirit. http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/gallery.htm
It's my turn to cook tonight for guests. Hot German potato salad, broccoli, perhaps some red cabbage sauerkraut (if I can find some) and maybe some challah, too.
Time to add an image for today and get going. My theme right now is "peaceful nature scenes."
Trying to find any sign of my WordPress blog meant needing to remember which email address it was that I used to create it. Eek!! Just when I had given up hope of ever finding my way back to this little used blog, I tried one more Gmail address -- Eureka! That was the magic key that led me to recover the blog, the name of which I had forgotten, too. Thank goodness for recovery options! So, after going through all that, it ended up that MB's TOWW blog wouldn't accept my WordPress blog user name. Harrumph. So I signed it with my Gmail credentials and that was that.
Today I was thinking about yamas and niyamas and how they form the foundation of one's spiritual life, especially if one's spirituality leans towards Hinduism or yoga philosophy. I like this write-up by William J.D. Doran who has several listings on Google as an artist and as a "Yoga Coach": http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/yoga/eight-limbs.htm
I like how he describes his art:
Inspirational art dedicated to the vibrancy of Spirit
and the expression of human creativity
Looking at images of his artwork, I would say that he has achieved his goal of creating art that shows the vibrancy of Spirit. http://www.expressionsofspirit.com/gallery.htm
It's my turn to cook tonight for guests. Hot German potato salad, broccoli, perhaps some red cabbage sauerkraut (if I can find some) and maybe some challah, too.
Time to add an image for today and get going. My theme right now is "peaceful nature scenes."
Even a line or two...
Even a line or two from MB has me feeling like this:
Will your conversations with God
Show up on your TOWW blog?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will your conversations with God
Show up on your TOWW blog?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
~
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Parlez vous français?
In
order to track down some information on a rare condition for one of the physicians, I was led to a
publisher’s French website where I needed to create an account in order to
access even the free articles. OK, pas de problème! And this is the note I
received in my inbox after registering:
Bonjour _____________,
Félicitations, votre compte EM|consulte a bien été créé!
Pour activer votre compte, veuillez cliquer
sur le lien suivant:
Conservez précieusement vos codes d'accès, ils
vous seront demandés à chacune de vos visites:
Adresse email:
Mot de passe: missingMB2day
Nous vous souhaitons une bonne navigation. L'équipe éditoriale EM|consulte
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Let's see if this physician can parler français!
Friendship
From a website:
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Radio Silence
Well, it's officially
January 14th, the start of an unanticipated Radio Silence between the Beams.
It's for a good cause -- a "God" cause?? -- that we are doing this,
but the very good reasons for stepping back (and apart) don't make it any
easier or less heartbreaking to do so. Just sayin'...
On a perpetual calendar that I have of "precious thoughts and verses," the entry for August 28th says this (the page the calendar had been turned to as of late):
A real friend is one who helps us to think our best thoughts, do our noblest deeds, and be our finest selves.
The entry for January 14th says this:
At the profoundest depths in life men talk not about God, but with Him. -- Elton Trueblood
That's good to know!!
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