“All God wants of man is a peaceful heart.”
Meister Eckhart
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… there I go again
“Don’t believe everything you think. When your mind starts to stack up its stories to prove to you that you have been wronged or you have been wrong, that nobody loves you or that everybody wants something from you, take a deep breath. Remind yourself that just because you think something doesn’t make it true.”
Mirabai Starr, God of LoveI’ve watched peoples feathers get ruffled when I say we can’t believe everything we think, nor believe what we think to be reality. Primarily because it’s difficult to change/let go of unhealthy thinking. We justify the heck out of our destructive thoughts with other unhealthy thinking. Let that soak in. Byron Katie suggests, “A thought is harmless unless we believe it. It’s not our thoughts, but our attachment to our thoughts, that causes suffering. Attaching to a thought means believing that it’s true, without inquiring. A belief is a thought that we’ve been attaching to, often for years.” I’m finding detaching from my thoughts to be freeing, a lifelong practice, and enriching my life. I often laugh at myself, seldom beating myself up. However, I do have wishful thoughts that more people practiced detaching from their thoughts starting with politicians, leaders of religious institutions, corporate executives, well, anyone centered on self, and ….. There I go again, believing I know what’s best for others, for the world!!! Happy Saturday!
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this book of nature…
rose-colored clusters
ms
exploding starlike flowers
this book of natureSometimes we need to look closely to see the beauty of the natural world otherwise we may miss the gift she offers. I fall prey to that more than I like. Yet, when we do stop and look closely at the Showy Milkweed and its cluster of tiny starlike flowers, we can notice the details and intricacies of her unending creativity. I love this Book of Nature.
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Happy Memorial Day
“To live a spiritual life requires that we choose the values that will ground our hearts, stretch our vision, and give new energy to our hopes.”
Joan Chittister -
The Gift of Knowing You
I read of a man who stood to speak
The Dash Poem (By Linda Ellis)
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
From the beginning…to the end
He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
That they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
Know what that little line is worth
For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering this special dash
Might only last a little while
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent YOUR dash?This poem was read at the Celebration of Life yesterday for our friend and loved one, Antonella (Toni). The poem does call us to think about how we want to live out all of our years in between those two significant dates of birth and death. I remember her smile, that grin which sometimes had that mischievous look. I am grateful to have received the gift of knowing you. You will be missed, my friend! 😢
Here is a link to a recording of the author reading the poem.
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What we don’t yet see
“The great transition of our times, of all times,
Paula D’Arcy
is to see what we don’t yet see.”The sun shines brightly this morning. The air is brisk, laying down a thin blanket of frost, so typical of an early spring morning. As I walked up to the coffee shop, squirrels and birds were joining in a celebration of this new day. Brought a smile to my face! I placed my hand on the door handle but did not open it. Instead, I listened and watched the world before me. I needed to see what I don’t yet see. Hoping you have a wonderful Sunday!
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Entertaining a Thought
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
AristotleMy ability to dream and fantasize goes way back. I could create a whole world in my head and stay there for hours simply by saying, “let’s pretend,” even when that was subconscious. I believe it’s an essential part of our young lives but there is a point where we cease pretending and begin living in the reality of life. Some of us do that sooner than others. I put myself in the later category. I’ve become aware of when to entertain thoughts without accepting them and let them go. Progress, as they say. Having said that I still find myself entertaining a thought just as this young lady seems to be doing but not accepting it as reality. Hope you had a good Monday!