change your character...

a sheikh said, 
if you wish to become a saint,
change your character into that of a child..

and why is that?

children have 5 qualities..
if adults had these same qualities,
they would attain the rank of saints!

1 - they do not worry about their daily bread.

2 - when they are sick,
they do not complain night & day
about their misfortune.

3 - whatever food they have, they share.

4 - when they quarrel,
they do not keep grudges in their hearts
& make up quickly.

5 - the slightest threat makes them frightened
& brings tears to their eyes.

                                   ~ al - Ghazzali

california

the pacific ocean..
central coast
wave upon wave..
fellas on the sand and rock shore -
guitar strummings..
cell phone chatters
surfers stripping down by the side of the road..
squirrels and chipmunks know a good roadside attraction..
pelicans..
seal pups and mamas
morphing from rock to mammal as the eyes focus
every kind of walking cycling skating running human
moving to the sound of wave crash..
dogs on leashes leading masters masterfully - morning evening stroll
crows, gulls, geese..
cormorants exercising fluttering
honing homing early morning cycle
to a final settle
golfers coursing the greens
it is another planet..let the rains come ..
moisture - keep the state alive!
say it now ~
may it be just so....

just sitting...

eventually,
intuitively,
like a bee moving to a flower,
we come to just sitting.
      ~ houn kobun chino

daily affirmations from khenpo karten rinpoche

contentment is supreme wealth, so don't lust for anything.

jealousy causes exhaustion of merit, so be happy for everyone.

having good motives is dharma's essence,
                                       so practice it always, without forgetting.

pride is an impediment to exemplary conduct, so be humble, always.

hatred is a fire that burns up virtue, so meditate with compassion for all.

miserliness causes preta rebirth, so be generous towards everyone.

breath

breath
at day's end
we try to remain
bright
speak colorfully,
for words 
are like the clothes we wear ~
we wear them 
on our tongues.
          - sanchez

21 breaths 
inhale exhale = one breath
clear mind
open heart..
we wear them 
on our tongues ~

earth day 2015

...and we are still here ~

to glorify
to honor
to care for
the vast delights of mother earth..

Please Come Home  ~  

Please come home. Please come home.
Find the place where your feet know where to walk
And follow your own trail home.

Please come home. Please come into your own body,
Your own vessel, your own earth.
Please come home into each and every cell
And fully into the space that surrounds you.

Please come home. Please come home to trusting yourself,
and your instincts and your ways and your knowings,
And even the particular quirks of your personality.

Please come home. Please come home and once you are firmly there,
please stay home awhile and come to deep rest within.
Please treasure your home. Please love and embrace your home.
Please get a deep, deep sense of what it's like to be truly home.

Please come home. Please come home and when you're really, 

really ready,
And there's a detectable urge on the outbreath, then please come out.
Please come home and please come forward.
Please express who you are to us, and please trust us
To see you and hear you and touch you
and recognize you as best we can.

Please come home. Please come home and let us know
all the nooks and crannies that are calling to be seen.
Please come home, and let us know the More
that is there that wants to come out.

Please come home. Please come home,
and when you feel yourself home, please welcome us too,
for we too forget that we belong and are welcome,
and that we are called to express fully who we are.

Please come home. Please come home.
You and you and you and me.

Please come home. Please come home.
Thank you, Earth for welcoming us.
And thank you touch of eyes and ears and skin,
touch of love for welcoming us.

May we wake up and remember who we truly are.

Please come home. 

Please come home.

Please come home.

                       ~Jane Hooper

a wing and a prayer..flapping in the breeeeezy...

impermanence is a principle of harmony.
when we don't struggle against it,
we are in harmony with reality.
                     ~ pema chodron

may i take a moment to thank profusely
the teachers who have stepped in and stepped up
to keep a wing in the aire?

jeri lancaster who will teach wednesday eve (7PM)
 and friday morn (9AM) as well as her monday eve (7PM) ~

kathy johnson who will teach tuesday / thursday (8AM)
as well as new classes : monday morn (8AM) yin, 
tuesday eve (5:30PM) and thursday morn (9:45AM) ~

julie cowen who will teach saturday morn (9AM) ~

WOW!

please join in and find the harmony in these changes..
~ i am entrusting you to one another ~
         the dictionary says..
entrust - putting someone (something) into
someone's care or protection..

may it be just so!

palms together in gratitude..sincerely..
for all who fly on a wing

the way it is

there's a thread you follow. it goes among
things that change. but it doesn't change.
people wonder about what you are pursuing.
you have to explain about the thread.
but it is hard for others to see.
while you hold it you can't get lost.
tradegdies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
nothing you do can stop time's unfolding.
you don't ever let go of the thread.

               ~ william stafford