Today’s post is about compassion, what it is and what it isn’t. The title for the post comes from Jack Kornfield, world renown Buddhist teacher and guide, from a book I can not recommend highly enough entitled The Wise Heart. Citing from Kornfield’s introduction of what Buddhism is and isn’t provides a helpful backdrop to the universal application […]
I have often times thought about how others might be perceiving my actions. What do they think of me? Do I look foolish or unworthy or are my thoughts ridiculous? Even when I know that to take things personally is an unproductive action of the ego, I still do. Yet, truly, intellectually, I know that what you think of me […]
Henry James once wrote that “the two most beautiful words in the English Language were Summer Afternoon.” I, for one, couldn’t agree more. So, instead of any sort of diatribe, here, instead, is my little ode to summer memories: Summer Snapshots Take a sip of Clarity Roll it around with your tongue Like a fine red wine Like a […]
There was a hit country and western song some years back with this refrain: I’m in a hurry to get things done/Well, I rush and rush until life’s no fun/All I really gotta do is live and die/But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why It seems the popularity of that song could have […]
John Lennon wrote these lines for his song “Beautiful Boy”. A bit of wit and concise wisdom, these words have been a refrain of mine for some years. They remind me that my BIG plans for the day, week, month, or year are just that…plans. As an example, many of us have had similar experiences like this […]
As a kid, I can recall long summer days on the beach when my brother, sister, cousins, and sometimes just random kids would spend a better part of an afternoon helping to dig a hole to China. It was largely a group effort, the attempt being short lived if you were solo. Invariably, however, we would be shoveling madly, […]
This has been the longest time in between posts since I begin in March. I have sorely missed writing. A high school graduation, seeing one “chick” off to China, getting a part time gig, yada yada, I am back…and inspired. I don’t know if any of you know the wonderful African American theologian and writer, Howard Thurman, but I would […]
This past week I was listening to a woman being interviewed on NPR. She has been volunteering for some weeks now cleaning the thick oil off the pelicans in Louisiana. Her voice faltered several times as she described the heartache of watching several of them die or struggle with wings to laden to lift. I hear the […]
I admit it; I am enamored with saints. I am fascinated with those who have reached the pinnacle of spiritual freedom, unity with God. Regardless of their religious traditions, these are men and women who are deemed “scientists of holiness.” We can learn from them. They are not only guides to the grail of enlightenment but they teach […]
Science as a discipline often eluded me in school. Basic botany and geology were OK; I was good at memorizing Latin names and identifying basic stone and strata. However, my mind would begin to spin and whirl at the thought of light years and black holes, the calibration of physics, complex chemical compounds, and the formulas that made […]
