how I long to see
Basho
among the morning flowers
the face of God
May you have a wonderful weekend!!!!
Morning Flowers
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It’s called practice…
Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.
Natalie Goldberg -
The gift of the poet…
a poet drinks from the
Garcia Lorca
well of the people, and
then gives it back to
them in a way that may
help them understand
themselves and the
world even betterReading poetry is something new for me, coming in the latter stages of my life, and I must say enjoyable. I have found poetry that helps me understand myself and the world around me. I am drawn to poets who are connected to nature, creation and speak to me about their spiritual life. But there are poets I just do not understand. Yet, I know there are people who connect to them while not with the poets I connect with. I have come to agree with Lorca that in the short period of time I have been reading poetry I have come to believe that poets help us understand ourselves and the world better. I also believe that people can and need to drink from the well of the poet. I therefore see poets as a gift!
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Ordinary Mystics
To be an ordinary mystic is to lead with love, to prioritize compassion,
Mirabai Starr
to regard the world with a sincere desire to see the goodness in others.What I like about her quote is the word ordinary. We do live in a society that thinks we need to be special, different, even superior or that we already are, rather than seeing each other as ordinary equals. We are all human, made of the same stuff, but each with our own unique gifts and talents. Seems to me the world could use a few more ordinary mystics who have a sincere desire to see the goodness in others and embrace that goodness.
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Compassion
Compassion is the only way forward if we are to be well. Compassion for those who do not know that they are beloved. Compassion for the children and creatures who are suffering today. Compassion even for the people and nations who wrong us. Revenge has no future, apart from bitterness and the multiplication of wrong. As Mahatma Gandhi taught his people in the midst of his nation’s struggle for justice and liberation, the philosophy of revenge, of an eye for an eye, will only make the whole world blind. If what we are committed to is transformation, then the only way forward is compassion, not revenge. A passion that is with and for the other as well as oneself, a passion that is with us and for the other as oneself.
John Philip Newell -
A new foundation
Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
Martin Luther King, Jr.We now teach that mankind has evolved physically and mentally. However, we have repeatedly proved we have not evolved as much in wisdom and maturity. For example, to solve human conflict with a method of love requires wisdom and maturity. And, without evolving in our wisdom and maturity we have shown conflict only adds to conflict. I do believe Dr. King is correct.
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… not always my best thinking
Starburst from my porch this morning I have been glancing at Google news and NPR news for the past month thinking I would stay better informed. I made sure not click on any of the links or read articles, I only read the headlines. But that wisdom showed me that some of my best thinking is not always my best thinking. In no time at all I found myself both angry and weeping for the world. So today as I journaled on my porch I wondered when was the last time we saw headlines with news of hope, love, compassion, tolerance, peace, forgiveness, acceptance, and stories of people who are making a positive difference in the world? Maybe that voice must come from each of us. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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… dawn is a gift
Arapaho Bend Natural Area – March 2019 “But dawn – dawn is a gift. Much is revealed about a person by his or her passion, or indifference, to this opening of the door of day. No one who loves dawn, and is abroad to see it, could be a stranger to me.”
Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays -
… the work of being human
Waiting area outside the Lory Student Center Theater “Really all we have to offer the world is the gift of our individuality. We can never be just like any other person. Our journey through life is an extremely personal contribution to the work of being human.”
Jane ReichholdIn my experience when anyone tries to force their opinions and their rules as the norm for everyone, they are no longer being a gift. We see this evidenced in our attempts to use war as a way to create unity rather than embracing individuality. There is enough historical evidence to prove war is not a gift and has never brought unity! So maybe our task in life is to encourage and nurture those around us who need to offer their personal contribution of being human. Who knows, maybe their contribution will enrich everyone’s lives. I find it sad that so many world leaders arrogantly deny others the opportunity to be the individual gift they are, this work of being human. And, it is a gift!
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Listening to understand
The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.
Stephen R. CoveyOvercast skies allowed for some predawn color on my way to the coffee shop this morning. I stopped in the parking lot at the CSU Women’s Soccer field and took this image. This is a handheld shot at ISO 500 and I used Lightroom Classic denoise in post processing. I met my friend Duane for brunch today and enjoyed the food and conversation. And the conversation is always good because we are both learning to be better listeners.
