It’s 29 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind speed of 13mph so it feels like 17 degrees. It’s brutal here in St. Louis this morning.
Today’s haiku: Flying In
no snow yet but the
bitter wind reminds me that
Winter’s flying in
May you be warm wherever you are.
We are halfway through the final month of 2022. Let’s make the most of the time remaining.
Today’s senryu: Love All the Way
we are still alive 🙂
our very breath can be joy –
let’s love all the way
Today’s daily meditation from Richard Rohr, Love Does No Harm, is a great reminder of why we can be joyful. (https://cac.org/daily-meditations/) Here’s a brief extract:
Father Richard invites us to trust the Inherent Goodness of the universe:
The goal of the spiritual journey is to discover and move toward connectedness on ever new levels. Of course, we won’t become vulnerable enough to connect unless we learn to trust over and over again. We must ask ourselves, “Is the universe a friendly place or not?” The spiritual experience is about trusting that when we stop holding ourselves, Inherent Goodness will still uphold us. Many of us call that God, but it isn’t necessary. It is the trusting that is important. When we fall into such Primal Love, we realize that everything is foundationally okay.
(Adapted from Richard Rohr, Essential Teachings on Love, selected by Joelle Chase and Judy Traeger (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2018), 104–105.)
I’m a work in progress with no clear finish line in sight. Yet, I aspire to being and doing better.
Below is my latest senryu and the quote that inspired it.
Today’s senryu: Love Everything?
I know I love you
and animals and plants – but –
purists, not so much
“Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to understand it every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love … Things flow and are indirectly linked together, and if you push here, something will move at the other end of the world.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov as quoted by Richard Rohr in Immortal Diamond (c) 2013, Jossey-Bass, p.159
https://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Diamond
https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Karamazov-Bicentennial-Novel-Epilogue
Known as the “Father of the Nation” of India, Mohandas Gandhi was also called Mahatma (Great Soul) or Bapu (Papa). Gandhi’s birthday, 2 October, is celebrated in India as a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence.
“Gandhi grew up in a Hindu and Jain religious atmosphere … which were his primary influences, but he was also influenced by his personal reflections and literature of Hindu Bhakti saints, Advaita Vedanta, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and thinkers such as Tolstoy, Ruskin and Thoreau… At age 57 he declared himself to be Advaitist Hindu in his religious persuasion but added that he supported Dvaitist viewpoints and religious pluralism.” (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi)
“Time magazine named The 14th Dalai Lama, Lech WaĹ‚Ä™sa, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benigno Aquino Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela as Children of Gandhi and his spiritual heirs to nonviolence.” (See “The Children of Gandhi” (excerpt). Time. 31 December 1999.)
One of his most famous sayings is “Be the change you want to see in the world.” (See https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi)
Today’s humble haiku response: Happy Birthday Mahatma Gandhi
Complicated man
demonstrating persistence –
truth will overcome
Family lore suggested my first great grandfather Cole had emigrated from Ireland to Canada. After a personal genealogy study, I surprisingly discovered three great grandfathers had been born in Canada, their five predecessors came from New York before my oldest known six great grandfathers were born in Holland. So far, the oldest records go back to 1450.
Yesterday was Ancestors’ Day in Cambodia which is a far distance from North America or Europe but why quibble. I’m choosing to recognize my ancestors today because my eighth great-grandfather, Jacob, was born on 9/25/1639 in New Amsterdam. Note: New Amsterdam was founded by the Dutch in 1624 and was renamed New York by the English in 1664. My grandfather would have been 25-years old when New York was established. He went on to live another 55 years and died at the age of 80 in 1719.
Here is today’s haiku: Remember Your Ancestors
It’s a miracle
or crazy coincidence –
grateful for my life
“Famed for his rapier wit as much as his ill-temperament, Henry Louis (H.L.) Mencken rose to national prominence as a journalist and correspondent for the Baltimore Sun.” See https://allthatsinteresting.com/hl-mencken-quotes
Two of my favorite Mencken quotes are: “After all is said and done … a lot more is said than done.” and “When somebody says it’s not about the money, it’s about the money.”
Today’s haiku: Happy Birthday H.L. Mencken
Cynical somedays
fortunately, do not last.
Persevere, my friend.
Note: today is also National Day of Encouragement. I wonder what Mencken would have said about this. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Encouragement
“Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day
Today’s haiku: Happy Labor Day
Sometimes short and sweet
sometimes much more challenging:
our labors of love
For a beautiful perspective on work, play and love please check out Sister Mary Lou Kownacki’s blog: Old Monk’s Journal https://www.monasteriesoftheheart.org/old-monks-journal/journal-entry-256 which contains this quote from Brother David Steindl-Rast:
“too easily we are inclined to imagine that God created this world for a purpose. We are so caught up in purpose that we would feel more comfortable if God shared our preoccupation with work. But God plays.”
There are many ways people cope with loss. Today we raise awareness on the sources of and resources for dealing with grief.
A lot has been learned about grief and it is not as simple or as sequential as once thought. For more information on this see https://nationaltoday.com/national-grief-awareness-day/
Here is today’s haiku: National Grief Awareness Day
Grief complications:
do not rush or minimize
self-care importance
William Wilberforce was born on this day in 1759. He was a British politician and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. It took him over forty years to accomplish this objective but his perseverance and ability to compromise ultimately led to success.
In addition, “Wilberforce was convinced of the importance of religion, morality and education. He championed causes and campaigns such as … the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce)
Here’s today’s haiku: Happy Birthday William Wilberforce
Persistence pays off.
Small victories multiply
when you are focused.
I was fortunate to have been accepted as a son-in-law by two men. Both attended the wedding ceremonies that conferred my legal status with their daughter. Both co-signed significant bank loans to support major investments that financial institutions would not approve without their signatures. Both were avid anglers who taught me how to fish in their favorite lakes. Both were golfers who smiled as I hacked my way on their favorite courses.
Both mean more to me than I can express today. I am grateful for their time in my life.
Today’s haiku: Father-in-Law Day
Here’s to the men that
show up and support their child
and their chosen spouse.
For more information on this national holiday see: https://nationaltoday.com/national-father-in-law-day/
Life Matters 