photo by Craig Smith
How Do I Listen?
How
Do I
Listen to others?
As if everyone were my Master
Speaking to me
His
Cherished
Last
Words.
~ Hafiz
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We Pay Too Little Attention To Our Need For Tranquility, Peace and Serenity
"There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence to which the idealist...most easily succumbs: activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by the multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence...it destroys the fruitfulness of ones own work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful." ~ Thomas Merton
With so many Americans today struggling to make a living and make ends meet, it's a sad story many have to tell about their frustrations of not having enough quality time with their families, the financially harsh choices they often have to make every day, the exhaustion of their own bodies and spirits as they strive to maintain some optimism for the future against so many seemingly depressing odds. Many smoke, over-eat, over-shop and try to keep up for their childrens sake who can easily be affected by materialistic peer pressure from school mates. Many parents and children are on antidepressants. And many working Americans have stress related health problems. Every working American deserves a livable wage as well as time for tranquility, peace and serenity in their lives.
On Your Walk Today...I Hope You Find Some Beauty
The azalea blossoms in our yard here are bright pink and one of our neighbors has both yellow and purple irises. Every time I walk by his yard to get my mail, I walk real slow in order to see what's new that's coming up in his gardens. Flower gardening is his special interest...and he's so relaxed and takes his time, you can tell how much he loves it. Gardening is quite often a spiritual thing. And the positive energy that comes from those who tenderly care for their gardens has a peaceful, calming effect on those who pass by as well.
"Just To Be Is A Blessing... Just To Live Is Holy" ~ Rabbi Abraham Heschel
"...Reach out to those upstairs, downstairs and across the back fence." ~ Joe Moakely
It is difficult for me to see vacant abandoned strip malls and other places with already existing but empty perfectly usable buildings being passed by for use ~ maybe even for housing ~ while beautiful tree covered land gets gobbled up in an instant, only to be destroyed in order to build something "new" on.
On this Earth Day, I'm thinking about the homeless in our country and that new and meaningful jobs could be created by putting an emphasis on developing and delivering safe, clean, renewable energies. Not for the rich to get richer but simply for the outlook to be more hopeful for the success of mankind being on this earth.
The health of our body, mind and spirit is constantly at risk whenever we neglect to factor into our future plans the importance of a healthy environment. ~ Patty Ann Smith
On this Earth Day, I'm thinking about the homeless in our country and that new and meaningful jobs could be created by putting an emphasis on developing and delivering safe, clean, renewable energies. Not for the rich to get richer but simply for the outlook to be more hopeful for the success of mankind being on this earth.
The health of our body, mind and spirit is constantly at risk whenever we neglect to factor into our future plans the importance of a healthy environment. ~ Patty Ann Smith
Earth Day is This Friday ~ April 22, 2005
"I have come to terms with the future.
From this day onward I will walk easy on the earth.
Plant trees.
Kill no living things.
Live in harmony with all creatures.
I will restore the earth where I am.
Use no more of its resources than I need.
And listen, listen to what it is telling me."
M.J. Slim Hooey
Build A Bird House, Plant A Butterfly Garden
"The greatest gift you can give your children and grandchildren is a relationship with nature...and an understanding of the interconnectedness of all things." ~ Patty Ann Smith
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A New Day
"Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Imagine No Possessions"
Pope John Paul II had no possessions ~ and yet people all over the world knew who he was.
He was a world ambassador for social justice and a champion of the poor. He said that "violence and war can never resolve the problems of men"; And, that "respect for life, and above all for the dignity of the human person, is the ultimate guiding norm for any economic, industrial, or scientific purpose". He believed that every individual's life should be able to be lived in dignity from birth 'til death.
The Pope gave comfort and hope to all those he touched. He believed that people of all religions were brothers under God....and did not believe that different religions meant a "separation" but rather were a "unity" with differences. He showed us that peace has nothing to do with us not being able to get along...because we can. It is greed that destroys peace.
"Faced with today's problems and disappointments, many people will try to escape from their responsibility. Escape is selfishness; escape in sexual pleasure, escape in drugs, escape in violence, escape in indifference and cynical attitudes. I propose to you the option of love, which is the opposite of escape."
"Man always travels along precipices. His truest obligation is to keep his balance." ~ Pope John Paul II
Admiration, Love, And Respect For A Great Man....Pope John Paul II
I was raised Catholic, but I must admit I'm one who never knew about this man's extraordinary life until he died last Saturday. And now, I suddenly find myself trying to learn all I can. Here was this humane and loving great man of peace, who wrote prolifically with endless wisdom and it appears that he may well go down in history as one of the world's greatest teachers. I want to learn more about his life and philosophy and what I can continue to learn from his teachings. This moving and sacred week that people from all over the world took part in is a testimony to his greatness.
"Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create." ~ Pope John Paul II
"There is one thing stronger than all the armies of the world and that is an idea whose time has come." ~ Victor Hugo
"Do not keep the alabaster box of your friendship sealed until your friends are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while their ears can hear them, and while their hearts can be thrilled and made happier. The kind of things you mean to say when they are gone, say before they go." ~ George W. Childs
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