Regrets? Nooooo

It is time to set aside the regrets that we might have for the things that we didn't get done this year. It is time to take a break until the first of next year. We should take this time to relax and let it all go and then we can resume our quest when the new year begins.

LIGHT OVERCOMES DARKNESS

...but light is nothing without darkness for contrast --from Brother Ben's Notebook

LIGHT

Light will always overcome darkness.

a Christmas Eve Greeting

It's raining outside.
I am all alone.
I am having a wonderful time.

--
"There is no excellence without labor. One cannot dream oneself into either usefulness or happiness."
-Liberty Hyde Bailey

             PAX

from William Butler Yeats - (1865- 1939)

We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry.

When Reality Fights

Greetings

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.
~Charles Dickens

This is a beautiful sentiment. It is my hope that it is true for all of us this year and always.
Merry Christmas.
Richard
--

             PAX

from Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

There is no character, howsoever good and fine, but it
can be destroyed by ridicule, howsoever poor and witless.
Observe the ass, for instance: his character is about perfect,
he is the choicest spirit among all the humbler animals,
yet see what ridicule has brought him to. Instead of feeling
complimented when we are called an ass, we are left in doubt.
-Mark Twain

Practice What You Peach

Auctions speak louder than words. Are my auctions in agreement with my words?

from C. S.Lewis

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

-A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that, through your love, you can make a difference in this world so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.

from Hildegard of Bingen

Be not lax in celebration.
Be not lazy in the festive service of God.
Be ablaze with enthusiasm.
Let us be an alive, burning offering
before the altar of God.

A New POV for me anyway

"in ministry with rather than in ministry to" - Do you see the difference? I do not come to you as the lone giver in the relationship. I come to you with an open hand and an open heart ready to receive the gifts that you have to offer me as well as to give you the gifts that I have for you.

QUESTION

When will you and me become we?

from Charles Dudley Warner

"No one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

Many Ways To Be in Ministry

Many Ways To Be in Ministry
There are so many ways of being in ministry. We are limited only by our imagination. Do we need to be limited by money? Can we honestly say that there are any limitations at all if we are truly following God's leading?

Being in missions does not necessarily equal going to far off places. Being in missions does not necessarily equal going across country or town. Being in missions simply means being attuned to the needs of other and being attuned to how God is leading us to respond to those needs.

A Beautifu New old Word

The Celtic word "anamcara" means "soul friend"

Several More Beautiful Words

GRATITUDE COMPASSION GIVING RECEIVING

A Few Beautiful Words

FAMILY HOME PEACE
SILLY FILLED SPIRIT

A Prayer

Dear Lord, please give me
a few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
a work to do that has real value,
without which the world would be poorer;
a mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
an understanding heart;
a sense of humor;
time for quiet, silent meditation;
a feeling of the presence of God;
the patience to wait for the coming of these things
with the wisdom to recognize them when they come,
-Anonymous

Concerning Treasures - Worry

Matthew 6:
19 ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust* consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

25 ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
(NRSV)

The Judgement of the Nations

Matthew 25:
31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

Prayer of Abandonment

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
-Charles de Foucald

an observation from another saint

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the light because the dawn has come. - ~Rabindranath Tagore

an observation from a saint

The glory of God is humanity fully alive.
-Saint Ireneaus

A beautiful old hymn

Why Ask Why part 1

If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?

How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?

Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?

from Thich Nhat Hanh

To me, peace and happiness and joy and life go together,
and we can experience the peace of the divine reality right in the present moment.

It is available, inside us and around us.
If we are not able to enjoy that peace,
how can we make peace grow?
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Where justice is denied

"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."
-Frederick Douglass

from Pablo Neruda

They can cut all the flowers, but they cannot stop the coming of spring.

Art Appreciation

On appreciating art:
Does art have to be difficult to be considered legitimate art? Make it obscure and they, the critics, will proclaim its greatness. It kind of reminds me of the emperor’s new clothes. I don’t get it but I don’t want anybody to know that I don’t get it so I will act as if it is the cleverest thing in the world. – Maybe the question to be asked would better be, “What is creativity?” Is it possible that he might have been trying to express the spontaneity of childhood? That’s one thing that I take from it whether that is what he intended or not.

How one appreciates art depends a lot on what one brings to the art that is being considered. – Often art speaks to observers in ways that the creator never intended. Does that make their assessment of the art incorrect? What is art? Who is an artist and who isn’t? It seems that we appreciate those whose craft is something that we can not easily attain. Is Michelangelo’s statue of David art or is it craft? What elevates it from mere craft to art?

I may not be able to muster up any appreciation for a certain piece of art but I should know enough about the art to appreciate the craft. -color composition texture depiction – know the artist as much as is possible – know the artist’s intentions in so far as is possible…

Creativity can be problem solving or it can be childlike play, or it can be both. I must choose what medium allows me to best express that which I am trying to express. Each medium will allow somewhat different expression or radically different expression.

art is determined solely by fashion
creativity is personal and is based on the choices that are available to the creator…
My creations may never achieve the status of art but they may be more creative than many things that have.

-A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that, through your love, you can make a difference in this world so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.

Beautiful Art

More Excitement ----

Where did this come from?
I was walking by,
as I had done many times before,
but I saw this for the first time?
Has it always been here?
I wonder.

Old Version

The Rule

The following is a list of the seven spiritual disciplines that the authors of this rule feel are necessary for growth into spiritual maturity.
1. sacrament of the present moment
2. prayer
3. simplicity
4. silence and solitude
5. spiritual direction
6. spiritual reading
7. Eucharist

Peacemaking

Be silly.
Make them laugh.
A world that is laughing won't have time to hate.

Adventure

This I believe:

1. I believe that the seed of good and evil resides in each of us.
2. I believe that each of us is capable of committing acts of good and evil depending on which seeds we nourish. It is for us to choose.
3. I must work diligently to identify the acts of violence that I participate in knowingly or unknowingly and take action to make things right with the victims of said violence.
4. I believe that I should not stand in judgment of anyone.
5. I must never believe that violence can serve righteousness.
6. I must never believe that I am incapable of violence.
7. I must never believe that good is good if it is only for me and mine.
8. I believe that I will know peace only when I find it at the center of my being.
9. I believe that I will be an effective peacemaker in the world only to the degree that I know the peace that is at my center.
10. I believe in silliness.
11. I believe in taking “ME” lightly.
12. I believe in the spirit of play that is holy.
13. I believe in the holy human spirit.

I believe that this is the spirit of “LIFE”.

pax

Matthew 6:19-21

19.‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20.but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I worked so hard to gather up wood to burn in my fireplace. I gathered up much more wood than I would need. I used some it that winter and carefully stored the remainder. That way I would be sure to have some next year. The next fall I went to the woodpile to get some for a fire and discovered that there was nothing there but the refuse that the insects and the rot left. There was nothing for the fireplace. I would have been better off if I had just gotten enough for the one winter.

It kind of reminds me of the manna that God sent down to the Israelites and God's instructions to them for its harvest and consumption.

My Take on Miracles

Call on God but row away from the rocks.
–Indian Proverb

What's Going On Here?

crazy - they say I owe
I say no no - crazy
what's going on here?

PAY ATTENTION

A word, once spoken, can not be taken back.

me

I am who I am and I can be no other. Do not try to make me into someone or something that I am not. I will resist that to the very end. I am who I am and I can be no other.

Be Careful

Be careful what you say. Another person's hide may not be as thick as your go seek.

Smile

I am amazed at how my spirits are lifted when there is a little food in the belly and cash in the coffer.

Listen to This

What is the name for what we're looking at? How about "faith"? Faith that can face down "greed." Greed, after all, is what lies at the core of our problems. Greed is about something-for-nothing. Greed is about I-must-have-more-than-you. Greed is about a craving for power. Greed hordes the world's energy. Greed claims to "own" God. Greed won't listen. Greed doesn't weep. Greed works a Ponzi scheme that ultimately robs the poor because it makes charity impossible. Greed insists on being paid for any favor. Greed puts a price on everything. Greed thinks it deserves to be rich. Greed demands losers. The media won't tell us these things. They can't. Faith does. And faith must.
-Ed Murray (former President and CEO of the Odyssey Network)

Wisdom from the East

Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want to have a good harvest, the most important thing is to make the soil rich and cultivate it well.
~Shunryu Suzuki

Wisdom from the Ancient

I have three treasures, well secured:
The first is compassion;
The second, moderation, never too much;
And third, I say that never would I once
Presume that I should be the whole world's chief.

Through compassion, one gains true courage;
Through moderation, one gains true abundance and strength;
And if our ambition can be only to serve,
Then we give our true talents time to emerge.

Bravado today knows no compassion;
Abundance we have, but without moderation;
And self-importance, always in a hurry,
Rushes head-long towards its own death.

The truly loving are the only invulnerable.
Love resists and conquers even death itself.
Heaven arms with compassion
Those whom it would not see perish.
-Lao Tzu

Every child has known God

Every child has known God,
Not the God of names,
Not the God of don'ts,
Not the God who ever does anything weird,
But the God who knows only four words.
And keeps repeating them, saying:
"Come Dance with Me, come dance."

Hafiz

How can we enter the kingdom of God if we do not become as children?

Sir Thomas Jeremy Gray

 

What I've Been Doing

I have been doing a lot of stuff but I have not taken time to write until now. I don’t have a lot to report tonight. I will say that I am praying for a friend of mine who is reaping a lot of bad stuff for choices that she made many years ago. I want so badly to help her but I know that I am powerless to help in any way beyond being present with a helping ear. Maybe I can do that.

I will not get any more specific than this. Just suffice it to say, I am humbled when I am confronted with situations such as this.

We had a fairly decent Farmer’s Market yesterday. I do enjoy being involved with the Farmer’s Market. It is a great opportunity to meet a lot of really great people. It is also a great place to buy locally grown produce and home baked goods. I hope that more and more people will get involved with it as vendors and vendees. More space and more people…these are needed.

Next Tuesday I am planning to attend a forum on community gardening. This is a theme that is very important to me and I hope that I can share ideas of mine and receive ideas from other participants. It will surely be interesting. I am sure that I will have something to report afterwords.

Mantra for the Bad Days:

Somewhere within all this noise is an enormous silence. If I just shut up for a moment, I'll be able to hear it. -Anonymous

MORE

I have not been doing much lately. It seems that I have been so busy doing absolutely nothing. Maybe it is not quite that bad, but it is close. I have been doing some reading and have spent a little time in my garden. It would be a good time to go outside except for the heat. I will be so thankful when the heat is down or maybe even off. Until that happens, I am going to be satisfied with early mornng outside and the rest of the day inside.

Ancient Chinese Proverb

If there is light in the soul,
There will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person,
There will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
There will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world.

Balance

Do I feed my physical hunger while neglecting my spiritual hunger? Do I put all of my resources into my vegetable garden while neglecting the beautiful flowers that I would like to put in my flower garden? Is there not a need for a semblance of balance here?

Whatever happened to the covered dish?

Most of us do not have enough time or inclination to put forth a little effort to make something special to share with others.

From Thornton Wilder

My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just to enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate.

Philosophy

There will be no long and complicated essays here. My philosophy? Keep it brief and
keep it simple.

Give This Serious Thought

The large rooms of which you are so proud are in fact your shame. They are big enough to hold crowds--and also big enough to shut out the voices of the poor....There is your sister or brother, naked, crying! And you stand confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering.
-Ambrose 4th Century

TODAY

Today is the last day of the first part of your life.
Enjoy it and then get ready for what comes next.

The above is my take on a
much used and maybe
overused proverb.

Three African Proverbs:

1.Do not look where you fell but where you slipped.

2.A wise man never knows all, only a fool knows everything.

3.Indecision is like a stepchild: if he doesn’t go wash his hands, he is called dirty, if he does, he is wasting water.

Comfort in Times of Trouble

"The lovely lotus blossom
does not grow on
beautiful granite or
any other beautiful stone.
The lovely lotus blossom grows
in muck and mire
that might not be so pretty
if not for the lotus blossoms growing there."
-Thich Nhat Hanh and just a bit of embellishment by me...

from the Tao Te Ching of Lao-tzu

Conquering others takes force.
Conquering yourself is true strength.
Knowing what is enough is wealth.
Forging ahead shows inner resolve.

Hold your ground and you will last long.
Die without perishing and your life will endure.

A Visit

I have kept journals for more years than seems possible. I was looking through some pages from 1995 and was surprised at some of the things that happened that long ago.-One very traumatic incident took place in December of the year before and I wrote a response to it early in January. I am glad that I was reminded of that experience and very proud to say that fourteen years has healed that wound and being reminded of it did not stir it up. I did not relive the experience but I was able to understand it more clearly looking at it from a distance. - I must not spend my life living in the past but if I understand the past I can have a better understanding of the present.

from Anonymous

If riding in an airplane is flying, then riding in a boat is swimming. If you want to experience the element, get out of the vehicle.
-Anonymous

A Word from St. Teresa of Avila

I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him.
-Saint Teresa of Avila

A Zen Story

When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.

A Beautiful Thought For One Who Is Aging

We have watered the trees that blossom in the summer-time. Now let's sprinkle those whose flowering time is past. That will be the better deed, because we shall not be working for the reward. -Kalidasa

As I See It

The trouble with self-made people is that they tend to worship their creators. -Unknown

In Pursuit of Excellence

Why should we settle for mediocrity when we are capable of being good. - I do not believe that we will ever come close to perfection but I believe we should approach our times of preparation as if we can. - Do we want to be good?

No Need

There was no need for me to be anxious. The things that were troubling me turned out to be no trouble at all. Everything was as it should be. Had I been able to find this out sooner, I would have spent fewer anxious moments and would better have enjoyed the days. - Trust in God to see you through the troubling times.And while doing so,enjoy life.

Why Am I So Anxious?

Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

How much do I NEED?

Through Difficult Times

One thing I have learned: At the time of my greatest need, there will be someone or some ones to help me through. I must express my gratitude to these people and I must lift my voice in praise and thanksgiving.

When I can look at my life with praise and thanksgiving, I can receive the lessons that life has for me. This is a good thing. I must open all of my senses to the blessings that I have been given.

Thank you God for sending people to me that I NEED.

FOUND ON A TOMBSTONE -

What I gave, I have;
What I spent, I had;
What I kept, I lost.

When Drinking Tea

Drink your tea slowly and reverently,
as if it is the axis on which the whole earth revolves –
slowly, evenly, without rush to the future.

Thich Nhat Hanh

O GOD THE FATHER OF FRUITFUL LIVING

O GOD THE FATHER OF FRUITFUL LIVING,
Our best image of you in Christ Jesus, Our Lord, reminds us that we are to "bear much fruit" and thus be His disciples. We do not like barren land. Neither do we like barren workers - barren animals - barren plants. Yet, we seem content with barren lives and barren souls. Our goal is fruit-bearing, and some of us are missing our goal. We are not passing the fruit test. The depth of our lives cry out for meaning and usefulness. If we are barren, help us on this day to begin anew to do your work your way and then miracles will happen in our lives and in our world. Help us to worship you and be fruitful for Jesus' sake.
Amen.

prayed by the Reverend George Zorn

LUKE 12:15

15And he (Jesus) said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’

Let us pray.
O God, the Father of all Wisdom, give to us the ability to see and act courageously and clearly. Allow us to know with certainty what we should treasure and worship. Save us from idolizing and worshiping lifeless things that may serve us well for a moment but which have no lasting or final value. Guide us so that we may give our finest devotion and worship to you. In full surrender, let us be possessed by you and never put under the slavery of things. We hunger for the satisfaction of the fellowship we find only in walking and talking and living with you now and eternally. Forgive us for those times when we have allowed any substitute.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.


prayer prayed by the Reverend George Zorn

Freely Given?

A coerced gift has little meaning.
A gift freely given must be full of love.

Find The Good Things

Be in tune with the moment.
See - Touch - Smell - Listen
Live while you are alive.
Don't waste even one precious moment.

This Moment

This moment is good.
There is nothing bad to haunt me
and there is peace and almost quiet to heal me.
Right now I am most aware of who I am
And this is good for me and for the world.

----------------

Opportunity Knocks and Almost Leaves

Today I am going to take a little baby, her mother, and her grandmother to the baby's doctor's appointment today in Augusta. It will be a four hundred mile round trip and not being much of a traveler, I resisted their request until I realized that this would be an opportunity for me to do a bit to help relieve at least one person’s problems with medical care. I almost let a service opportunity get away from me.

fish

I lost the picture.

My Cat

 

This is Sir Thomas Jeremy Smokey Gray. He is supposed to be my cat but it is certainly the other way around. He is not my cat. I am his human. He has trained me very well and is very pleased to be able to keep me. I am very glad. I have enjoyed being his human for the last fifteen years.

Beauty in the Herb Garden

 

FEAR NOT

Over and over God tells me not to fear.
I know that God is with me even though I seldom act like it.

More Blessed to Give Than Receive?

Sometimes the only thing that I have left to give is the ability to receive the gift or gifts given by others. It seems to me that the truly blessed ones are those who can do both with ease.

Push Plow

I enjoy using the old fashioned technology in my little garden patch.

Easter Declaration

Ten Steps for Handling Life’s Hurts

1. Recognize that a problem exists.
2. Acknowledge the pain you feel – or caused.
3. Ask for help, guidance, and other opinions.
4. Do one small concrete thing to create change.
5. Make amends if appropriate.
6. Remember, you always have choices.
7. Pray for strength, courage, healing.
8. Share what you have learned with others.
9. Don’t give up hope or extinguish it in others.
10. Forgive yourself and forgive others.
Unknown

Decision

I am back. My gardening is going slowly so I do have time to think about this blog. I will post to both of them but probably not daily but as I have thoughts to share.

Temporary Change

It is about time to begin documenting my 2009 gardening experience. I have created a new blog and will be concentrating on that blog for now. I will be back in the fall and intermittently in between now and the fall.

From Richard's Garden can be found at http://2009again.blogspot.com

Why I don't give in to despair.

There is too much in this world to explore. I can not waste my time grieving. I must be about the business of seeing what is next. I know that I am not alone. Even when I feel completely isolated from the world, I know that I am not alone. There is indeed a spirit that lives within my being that unites me with the world. 
             -from Brother Ben's Notebook

Where We Are

We are in this life together.
We are inextricably mixed up with each other.
How can I help you?
How can you help me?

Epiphany

What I do must be for my good and only then will it be for anyone else's good. If I am experiencing turmoil and terror inside, turmoil and terror are what I will have to give to the world.

Another Last Day

It is the last day of the month of February.
The last day and then another beginning.
But then everyday might be a new beginning
if we but choose to begin again.
Enjoy the present moment.

LIGHT OVERCOMES DARKNESS

Wisdom From Sacred Scripture

A generous person will be enriched
And one who gives water will get water.
Proverbs 11:25

from Cross Creek

It seems to me that the earth may be borrowed but not bought. It may be used but not owned. It gives itself in response to love and tending, offers its seasonal flowering and fruiting. But we are tenants and not possessors, lovers and not masters. Cross Creek belongs to the wind and the rain, to the sun and the seasons, to the cosmic secrecy of seed, and beyond all, to time.
-Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

From Saint Columba

Alone with none but thee, my God,
I journey on my way.
What need I fear when thou art near,
Oh king of night and day?
More safe am I within thy hand
Than if a host did round me stand.
~St. Columba (521-597)

ex Albert Einstein

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “universe,” a part limited in time and space He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal decisions and to affections for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.

Yeah?

It is hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.
-written in the dust on the back of a bus

2009 Garden Begins

Friday, February 13, 2008, I planted a turnip patch and a patch of mustard greens and it rained one half inch of gentle rain yesterday to get the greens going. I will plant a row of potatoes next week if the ground dries out enough.

Another one from Professor Bailey

Every family... may have a garden. If there is not a foot of land, there are porches or windows. Wherever there is sunlight, plants may be made to grow; and one plant in a tin-can may be a more helpful and inspiring garden to some mind than a whole acre of lawn and flowers may be to another.
-L. H. Bailey

from Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian Author

Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use.

from Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey

That best portion of a good man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts
Of kindness and of love
William Wordsworth
ex Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey

Read the whole poem. It is all very beautiful.

from The Interior Castle

Our Lord does not care so much for the importance of our works as for the love with which they are done. When we do all that we can, His Majesty will enable us to do more everyday.
-Teresa of Avila

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
-Morrie Schwartz

On the Advantage of Not Having Everything Our Own Way

It is good that everything is not always to our liking; for adversity makes a man look into his heart in order to realize that he is an exile and must not put his hopes in any worldly thing.

It is good for us to run into opposition and to have others think badly of us, even when our intentions are good. For these things help us to be humble and rid us of pride. Then we seek God more earnestly, who alone knows our inmost self, when outwardly we are ignored and discredited by men.

2. Therefore, a man should rely so entirely on God that he has no need to look for human consolation when adversity comes. When a man of good disposition is afflicted or tempted, or distracted by evil thoughts, then he understands the need he has for God and that without Him he can do nothing.

Then too he grieves, while he sighs and prays because of the miseries he endures. He grows weary of this life and longs for death in order to be with Christ, his Lord. It will also be clear to hi that there is neither perfect peace nor security in this world.

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST
Thomas a Kempis
From Book 1: ADMONITIONS FOR SPIRITUAL LIFE
Chapter 12

My Kitchen Garden

What is a kitchen garden. A kitchen garden is a garden that primarily has vegetables and kitchen herbs growing in it. Occasionally some other plants might be grown but not in large quantities..

My kitchen garden is in the preliminary stage right now. I spent some of this morning tilling soil in preparation for the planting of potatoes and carrots next week. I will plant other kinds of vegetables as the year progresses and we get closer to springtime.

I love my kitchen garden because I am fed twice from its bounty. I am fed physically every time I eat from the harvest. I am spiritually fed every time I go to my garden to work. I am also spiritually fed when I share the harvest with others.

Picture this: I go out to my garden just after daybreak when it is still cool and I hear the neighborhood rooster crowing,the dogs barking in the yard next door, and the birds singing their morning choruses. Life doesn't get much better than that in my kitchen garden.

~Richard Burton

Garden Thought

One does not begin to make a garden until one wants a garden. To want a garden is to be interested in plants, in the winds and rains, in birds and insects, in the warm-smelling earth.
~Liberty Hyde Bailey

Once Again - A Thought for Spring

Problem - What can I do with the surplus vegetables from my garden? There is always more than I can use.

AN IDEA–
A Community Garden – individual plots for individual use and pooling of surplus for donation to organizations dealing with hunger issues – either direct donation of surplus food to food banks and/or organizations that prepare meals to feed others – or donation of funds raised from the selling of the surplus produce
A Multipurpose Activity – pursuit of one’s interest –fellowship with other people of like interest – helping

What is it?

MINDFULNESS comes to mind right now. Live each moment as it is given to you. Do not let yourself be swayed by the current of public opinion. Be who you are and not who anyone else wants you to be.
Do not live in the past. The past is dead.
Do not try to live in the future. The future is yet to be born.
Live each moment as it is given to you.
Realize that your life does not depend on the things that you possess.
Realize that your life does not depend on what philosophy or theology you can discuss.
Realize that your life does not depend on what you believe
and it certainly does not depend on what you do.
BE.

Realization

I am convinced that courage comes to each of us as we dare to share ourselves with others. One person can not face the world alone. We do need each other.

We are

We are indeed the world. Only if we have reason to fear what is in our own hearts need we fear for the planet. Teach yourself peace and pass it on.
-Alice Walker

Let me not pray...

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain
but for the heart to conquer it.
Let me not look for allies in life's battlefield
but to my own strength.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved
but hope for the patience to win my freedom.
Grant that I may not be a coward,
feeling Your mercy in my success alone;
But let me find the grasp of Your hand in my failure.
- Rabindranath Tagore-Bengali poet

Heal

Heal the broken with comforting words of God. Cheer them gently with earthly joys. Be merry and laugh with the broken and carry their secret needs in the deepest silence of your heart.
-Mechtild of Magdeburg

A Tale from the Hasidim

The rabbi of Sassov once gave away the last money he had in his pocket to a man of ill repute. His disciples threw it up to him. He answered them: "Shall I be more finicky than God, who gave it to me?"
- A Tale from the Hasidim

from Hildegard of Bingen

Be not lax in celebration.
Be not lazy in the festive service of God.
Be ablaze with enthusiasm.
Let us be an alive, burning offering
before the altar of God.
-Hildegard of Bingen

A Thought For Today

We need God, not in order to understand the why, but in order to feel and sustain the ultimate wherefore, to give a meaning to the universe.
-Miguel de Unamuno

Lesson Just Learned

Face your fears and they won't be nearly as frightening as you think.

A Prayer For Today

I CAN NOT DO THIS ALONE

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray 

And to concentrate my thoughts on you:

I can not do this alone.

In me there is darkness, 

But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

But you know the way for me…

Restore me to liberty,

And enable me to live now

That I may answer before you and before me.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

THE GARDEN

soft

shadows

silent

spirit

-T. J. Grey

Two Thoughts on Gratitude

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven."
-Johannes A. Gaertner

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
-Albert Schweitzer

A Sermon

What keeps you from giving now? Isn't the poor person there? Aren't your own warehouses full? Isn't the reward promised? The command is clear: the hungry person is dying now, the naked person is freezing now, the person in debt is beaten now-and you want to wait until tomorrow? "I'm not doing any harm," you say. "I just want to keep what I own, that's all." You own! You are like someone who sits down in a theater and keeps everyone else away, saying that what is there for everyone's use is your own. . . . If everyone took only what they needed and gave the rest to those in need, there would be no such thing as rich and poor. After all, didn't you come into life naked, and won't you return naked to the earth?

The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry person; the coat hanging unused in your closet belongs to the person who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the person with no shoes; the money which you put in the bank belongs to the poor. You do wrong to everyone you could help, but fail to help.
-Basil 4th Century

from a Sacred Text

Proverbs 30: 7-9

Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me only with the food that I need,
or I shall be full, and deny you,
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
or I shall be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.

A Garden Thought for Spring

Problem - What can I do with the surplus vegetables from my garden? There is always more than I can use.

AN IDEA–
A Community Garden – individual plots for individual use and pooling of surplus for donation to organizations dealing with hunger issues – either direct donation of surplus food to food banks and/or organizations that prepare meals to feed others – or donation of funds raised from the selling of the surplus produce
A Multipurpose Activity – pursuit of one’s interest –fellowship with other people of like interest – helping those who have needs

One to think about this inauguration day

The large rooms of which you are so proud are in fact your shame. They are big enough to hold crowds--and also big enough to shut out the voices of the poor....There is your sister or brother, naked, crying! And you stand confused over the choice of an attractive floor covering.
-Ambrose 4th Century

A Thought From Plum Village

“The mind can go in a thousand directions,
but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace.
With each step, the wind blows.
With each step, a flower blooms.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Observation From A Garden

The lovely lotus blossom
does not grow on
beautiful granite or
any other beautiful stone.
The lovely lotus blossom grows
in muck and mire
that might not be so pretty
if not for the lotus blossoms growing there.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
and just a bit of embellishment by me...R.B.

Saint Teresa's Bookmark

Let nothing disturb you;
Let nothing dismay you;
All things pass:
God never changes.
Patience attains all that it strives for.
One who has God
Lacks for nothing.
God alone suffices.

~St. Teresa of Avila

for the future

My plans are to begin thinking more about gardening starting in February because I will be planting some garden then.

Fragrant Herb From My Garden

ROSEMARY

The Animal's Prayer

Dear Lord:
Please watch over our humans, they are so weak. They have no claws or teeth, they can't run fast or fly away, neither can they burrow or build a nest in which to be safe. They smell bad, do strange things that aren't altogether intelligent, have no real ability to communicate with us, although we are able to figure out what they want.

Lord, grant us the ability to watch over our humans, care for them, cheer them when they are down, make them laugh, smile, and shower them with our love. We pray that we can bring a little joy into their otherwise mundane existence.

Lord, please let them know that when we insist on getting attention, it is so we can check their emotional well being and boost their morale. When we pester them for different foods, toys, etc., it's so they will learn to see us in ways they hadn't considered, bringing them closer and back into the fold ... which they are part of but keep forgetting about.

They expect us to know what they want even though sometimes they don't know what we want. Some of them really try and we know they love us but some of them are so dumb yet our love for them remains intensely unfaltering.

Lord, when we die, please make sure to send us ahead to where ever our humans are going to be, so we can pave the way for them, vouch for them and be there for them when they too die.

Please allow us to continue proving that humans are worth the effort. You placed these humans in dominion over us, but you charged us with the task of caring for them and showing them your love every day, through us.

God bless these mere mortal humans, they know not that we are their guardian angels sent in love to task them so that they may grow to be part of your plan.

Author Unknown

My Garden Today January 15, 2009

I have one row of frozen beets in my garden right now. I did not think that it would get cold enough to hurt them and maybe it hasn't. I am going to harvest the leaves today. They make a great cooked green that is somewhere between the beet root and spinach in flavor. My mother used to cook them whenever we harvested them for the roots.

Other than the beets, my gardening is in the planning and dreaming stage. I am in the process of digging up a small area of new ground that may or may not be planted this spring. I realized, after I began, that it is going to be shaded for most of the day when the trees are leafed out. We are going to see what we can do with it as spring gets nearer.

I will be reporting on my garden occasionally but I don't want to be boring about it. I will be thinking about some books that have been helpful to me.

-Richard Burton

Tragedy

I met a person who was recruiting members for an organization whose mission was and still is to save the world's wildernesses . In the course of our conversation, I mentioned how much my family had enjoyed camping as we were growing up. Her reply was that she was so busy working for this organization that she didn't have the time or the inclination to get out and see what she was trying to save. This struck me then and strikes me now as being so tragic.
– How often do we fail to see the beauty that is around us because we are so terribly busy trying to “save” it somewhere else?

The Listener

For who listens to us in all the world, whether
He be friend or teacher, brother or father, or
Mother, sister, or neighbor, son or ruler, or servant?
Do the stars listen, when we turn despairingly
Away from man, or the great winds, or the seas or
The mountains? To whom can the man say – Here I
Am! Behold me in my nakedness, my wounds, my
terror, my abandonment.
Listen to me for a day – an hour – a moment!
Lest I expire in my terrible wilderness, my
Lonely silence! O God, is there no one to listen?
Is there no one to listen? You ask. Ah Yes,
there is one who listens, who will always listen.
Hasten to him, my friend! He waits on the hill for you.
For you, alone.
-attributed to Seneca the younger

Sharing

Unshared joy is an unlighted candle.
-Spanish Proverb

Unshared sorrow is a burden too great for one person to bear.
-T. J. Grey

My hope is that you will have more joy than sorrow.
My prayer is that you will have someone to share the joy and the sorrow with.
- Richard Bennett Burton

Here's one to think about.

I ran across this quotation as I was reading today. It is interesting to me how we can take words and twist them around in order to justify whatever we want to do.

I do not like this word bomb. It is not a bomb; it is a device which is exploding,
-Jacques Le Blanc
French ambassador to New Zealand, describing France's nuclear testing, 1995

What's the difference?

Saint Patick's Breastplate Day 3

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Saint Patrick's Breastplate Day 2

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Saint Patrick’s Breastplate Day 1

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

My Garden

a row for those who hunger physically
a row for those who hunger spiritually
a row for feed
a row for seed
and a big row for community
-Richard Burton

from Luke's Gospel

Don't be afraid.
We have come to bring you good news of great joy...
-Luke

Words of Wisdom Early In the Year

Observe the wonders as they occur around you.
Don't claim them.
Feel the artistry moving through
and be silent.
-Rumi

The young have aspirations that never come to pass, the old have reminiscences of what never happened.
-Saki

from Hildegard

The soul is a breath of living spirit that with excellent sensitivity
permeates the entire body to give it life.
Just so, the breath of the air makes the earth fruitful.
Thus the air is the soul of the earth, moistening it; greening it.
-Hildegard of Bingen

Silence

Silence vibrating is Creation
Silence flowing is Love
Silence shared is Friendship
Silence seen is Infinity
Silence heard is Adoration
Silence expressed is Beauty
Silence maintained is Strength
Silence omitted is Suffering
Silence allowed is Rest
Silence re-circled is Scripture
Silence preserved is Our Tradition
Silence given is Initiating
Silence received is Joy
Silence perceived is Knowledge
Silence stabilized is Fulfillment
Silence alone is.
-Author Unknown

Thoughts from different places

Nothing is worth more than this day.
~Goethe

Now and then it's good to pause in the pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
~ Guillaume Apollinaire

If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.
~Katherine Hepburn

Happy New Year

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But Today well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
-Kalidasa