tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25830359848965848392024-03-13T06:20:50.337-07:00AscendingTheHills"Life is not a problem to be solved, nor a question to be answered. Life is a mystery to be experienced." ~ Alan WattsJessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.comBlogger348125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-81146818426080303902014-05-04T08:59:00.001-07:002014-05-04T09:16:15.540-07:00Stranger in an Empty Chair<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tYyd59RROqo/U2ZjMh8GuNI/AAAAAAAACkY/Sr48tTjlxAg/s1600/GirlinGreenChair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tYyd59RROqo/U2ZjMh8GuNI/AAAAAAAACkY/Sr48tTjlxAg/s1600/GirlinGreenChair.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> "Girl in Green Chair" by Michael Carson</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
While reality hums and reverberates with a melody entranced in a state of constant flux, I find myself in a place that seems to make the world stand still. Just one single harmony can be heard in my surroundings which seem insulated from the world's dull roar outside these four walls. So is my concentration that it matters little what else is happening in life's periphery. The current demanding needs of the man I care for are the only concerns that rise into view. <br />
<br />
Simple things matter the most in his world. Not only having something to eat but having something to eat that he can chew. Not only having something to drink but having something to drink in a container that isn't too full and easy to spill. It is important for him to enjoy his customary daily glass of fresh squeezed orange juice that accompanies his pills and perhaps just as much needed is the hug I give him when coming and leaving. Sometimes the only human contact he gets for the entire day. <br />
<br />
He asks me if I can see her. <br />
<br />
"Who?" I inquire.<br />
<br />
"The stranger in the chair. Its a woman with brown hair to her shoulders. She's looking at me." He answers, his eyes getting larger as he is apparently surprised at the sight behind me. <br />
<br />
I turn around and see what I expected to see. An empty chair. I assure him that it is just him and I in the room. That what he is seeing is not there. "Bill, close your eyes and take a deep breath." I wait for him to do so. " Tell yourself that she isn't real. Bill, you have an infection that is causing you to see things that aren't there." I don't know what else to say. I have no training in dealing with anything like this and he doesn't as well. We are just two souls caught up together in quite the quandary. <br />
<br />
I place my hand on his and he squeezes it. He is frightened and I can't blame him for that. I would be too. He tells me that early that morning there were two men that were behind him yelling. They were throwing balled up socks at him and one even hit him with a shoe. To him, it had felt so real. <br />
<br />
Two days before we had went to the doctor's with one another. The visit was a spontaneous one and had arisen right after he had confided to me that he was seeing things. He had been for awhile but was afraid that if he had told someone they would have immediately put him in the hospital and would have thought he was crazy. He wasn't sure what he was seeing, if it was in his head or maybe even ghosts or something. I told him I was so glad he shared this with me and that I was certain there was a natural and physical explanation to what he was experiencing. He was on new medication, maybe that was it. Regardless, he couldn't be helped if we didn't seek help and things would undoubtedly get worse if we didn't. I immediately cancelled the appointment I had after him and took him to his doctor's. <br />
<br />
I was relieved we had went as when we were there we were informed that he had a raging urinary tract infection and that that could very well explain his hallucinations as well as the lack of appetite and nausea he had been experiencing. Then the doctor dropped the bomb.<br />
<br />
"Since he has been seeing things and is just going to be starting antibiotics we are afraid the infection might have gotten into his blood. Since he lives alone he is going to have to go to the hospital."<br />
<br />
I looked over at Bill and saw a mask of shock and dread spread over his visage. I knew that his greatest fear was to be hospitalized. Sometimes its hard to get out of the hospital when you go in at his age, especially when certain close family members were eager to have you in there and stay in there. Not out of concern but out of greed. <br />
<br />
Not hesitating I jumped in. "What if someone stayed the night with him?" <br />
<br />
The doctor looked at me. "Well, then he could go home."<br />
<br />
I had turned to Bill, "I could stay with you tonight...That's if you wouldn't mind." Relief visibly expressed itself on his features, his shoulders loosening and a smile forming on his face. "Of course I wouldn't mind!"<br />
<br />
"Great. " I turned to the doctor. "I will stay with him tonight. I'll make sure he's taken care of."<br />
<br />
The doctor smiled. I think she was just as delighted as we were that he was going to be going home, having had known him for years herself. As I was driving him back to his house I thought about how I was to explain this to my husband and kids. After dropping him off I raced back home to collect my things; a change of clothes, my pjs and toiletries and my Gita for reading after he went to bed that night. I explained the situation to my husband who unfortunately was less than understanding but had little choice as having had already promised the doctor I would stay with Bill I had no intentions of breaking such an agreement. My kids, however, were excited to spend the night over my parents which made my sudden departure from our Friday night routine a little easier.<br />
<br />
That night I placed a home cooked meal before Bill while we settled down to watch , "Some Like It Hot" with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe. I smiled. I was happy to see him happy. Sitting comfortably in his favorite chair with good warm food and content with the anticipation of viewing one of his favorite movies in the company of another. I cringed at the thought of him lying in some sterile hospital bed with strangers all around being woken up at all hours, disoriented and feeling alone. <br />
<br />
When it was finally time for me to go upstairs I made sure he was situated in bed and made my way to the room I would be sleeping in. I was in his former bedroom he used to sleep in before they put a bed down in his living for him for easier access. Pulling the covers back I slipped in with my japa mala and Gita turning on the small light on the table by the bed. Watching the moon outside the window I began to chant. Growing restless and wanting to maintain some concentration I flipped through pictures in my Gita of Krishna as I chanted his names. Finally, fatigue took over and I lay down and fell asleep. <br />
<br />
I was awoken at 5 am by shouting. I ran downstairs and saw the door to the entryway was open. Swiftly moving to its entrance I saw Bill, with the front door open, shouting. I ran to him, putting my hands on his arm and guided him away from the door, closing and locking it. He doesn't walk well, having Parkinson's, and it took some effort to help him back up the stairs and into bed. I was glad when he finally closed his eyes, with his covers warmly over him, and settled back down. This experience increased my worry towards his situation. Its one thing seeing things that aren't there from the safety of your own bed, it's another thing entirely to get up and act on what you see, putting yourself at risk of falling down stairs. <br />
<br />
Well, here I am now. Things are uncertain for Bill but I am hopeful that his condition will improve. No matter what happens, though, there is a place in my heart where my love blossoms for this man who I find endearing. I plan on staying by his side as much as is possible through this chapter in his life. <br />
<br />
Thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Please consider leaving them in the comments section. Thank you.Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-74857949670336908862014-04-23T14:26:00.002-07:002014-04-25T02:38:59.135-07:00At the River's Edge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7PtYvnRsHg/U1guYe7QX_I/AAAAAAAAChA/b3dCQwo9iGs/s1600/atriversedge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7PtYvnRsHg/U1guYe7QX_I/AAAAAAAAChA/b3dCQwo9iGs/s1600/atriversedge.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I thought I'd write about a moment I had this afternoon at the river. I'd love your thoughts. Please consider sharing them in the comments section. Thanks! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> * * *</b><br />
<br />
<br />
I descended the sharp banks of the river not caring whether I could get back
up its steep and slippery slope. Wet leaves and loose soil gave way under my
feet and I mused at the situations I find myself in as I succumbed to the
notion of simply sliding the rest of the way down in a crab-like fashion-with
my feet working hard at directing my path and my hands behind me holding the rest of myself up to prevent the bottom of my pants from getting completely wet. How undignified and primitive I become in the
woods! How little I care. All the while I was doing this I could hear her
rushing waters getting louder and quickened my pace. I felt an intense longing to nestle into one
of her gentle curves sheltered by the towering groves of coniferous trees
lining her shapely form and chant. <br />
<br />
My feet ended up landing themselves on a small outlet carpeted with an
assortment of large pebbles-mostly various colored quartz and sandstone, smooth
and rounded. Taking a sharp right and stepping
back up on the forest floor I found
myself in an area interspersed with large rocks, lush moss and trees sporting thick
roots protruding in an exaggerated fashion from the damp soil. <br />
<br />
I settled down on a large flat rock beside the waters churning white and gently
pulled my mala off from around my neck while breathing deep and
taking in my surroundings. The wind was bitter but I was somewhat sheltered by
most of it from where I sat. The sun teasingly drifted in and out of dark rain
clouds that occasionally expelled their icy pellets. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">I began chanting my rounds. moving from bead to bead. With each repetition my
mantra’s sound vibrations drifted across the river and through the surrounding
forest. I concentrated on each syllable and
let my gaze loosely settle on the patch of swirling water before me.<i> Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare</i><br />
<br />
It wasn’t long after I began when a flash of golden amber and deep brown in my
periphery caused my head to instinctively turn and I caught sight of a most
magnificent and beautiful bird of prey. Its head was white and I would have
thought just by looking at his head that he was a bald eagle, though he did lack the bold yellow beak I associate with them. He was too
brown with speckles of amber so I took him to be perhaps a falcon or hawk. He
swooped with intent, sailing low above the middle of the river and when almost
out of sight circled back and finally landed on a high branch of a nearby
cedar. <br />
<br />
I continued to chant while appreciating his stately splendor and my heart leapt
as he plunged downwards to the water
swooping his lower half in her white waters. A flurry of activity commenced
causing considerable splashing all lasting but a brief while and when he arose
and effortlessly glided past me and then circled back to his branch I thought
it was a safe hypothesis to conclude he had missed his prey as I saw nothing in
his talons nor did I see him consume anything once back on his chosen perch. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Now on round three I watched his proud form rest for awhile and then once again
plunge into the river’s elusive waters and ascend towards higher elevations once more after another flurry of
activity. Just like the previous time he flew by me and back to his branch with
seemingly nothing. He must have caught something there in the past as he kept
returning to the same spot and yet his time for lunch had not yet come. I was
okay with not witnessing death this cold spring day. Already chambers of my heart had grown numb
and dark from experiencing a fresh dose of pain and grief, mourning the loss of
a sense of security, stability and trust. I only wished to sit in peace for awhile
and chant my mantra, allowing it to sink deep within my consciousness as the
day opened herself before me. Branches swayed all around being pushed this way and that by the strong winds
while the dark clouds above momentarily broke open. Sunlight filtered in casting its
radiance all around, the waters reflecting its brilliance in the form of
dazzling sparks dancing atop its surface. <br />
<br />
Soon it was time to leave and I laughed at the wall of shifting earth I now had
to make my way back up. Oh the obstacles we make for ourselves! But I didn't mind. It caused me to become more than intimate with the fresh smelling earth that rose before me and I was thankful for the extra physical exertion causing me to feel enlivened. By the time I arrived back at home I no longer felt suffocated nor dismayed but my heart felt lighter and my mind had a renewed sense of clarity. I was thankful I chose the time to get outside and chant rather than allow myself to be mired in self pity. I also felt gratitude for the moments I had in witnessing such a beautiful creature go about his usual mid afternoon routine at the river's edge. </span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-88020088131411035902014-03-29T05:57:00.000-07:002014-03-29T07:47:44.023-07:00Jesus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fW1aVEnXXug/UzbAmDhw4wI/AAAAAAAACfk/rDx42j9fspo/s1600/light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fW1aVEnXXug/UzbAmDhw4wI/AAAAAAAACfk/rDx42j9fspo/s1600/light.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br />I
thought about Jesus yesterday. It happened rather spontaneously and unexpectedly so I felt prompted to write about it afterwards. I was with a man I work for
who is 92 and who I had just taken to the doctor’s and diagnosed with pneumonia. One unrelated concern he had expressed while at the visit
was the pain he felt in his feet and legs because of his dry skin. They
gave us samples to take home with us but nobody offered to put lotion on
to relieve him of his discomfort right then and there. <br />
<br />Upon arriving back to his house that afternoon I made sure he was
comfortable, handing him a cool glass of his favorite juice and then began
organizing his pills for the coming week. In the back of my mind I was
thinking about the pain in his feet and calves and how he must still be
feeling this discomfort which he had complained about even before our
trip to his doctor. While making his breakfast that morning he had lamented that it had kept him awake half the night. I knew I would be the last person he saw that day
and that it wasn’t in my job description to apply any lotion to him. If I
were to do things like that I would take on a different “title” and be
paid more. None of his other aids that came to his house were paid to do
that, nor did it seem very likely they would, having heard about their
limited willingness to do extra things for his comfort in the past. If
he wanted it done he would have to do it himself and, having Parkinson’s
and limited mobility, the chances of that were low. <br />
<br />Everyone has their own sense of comfort with things and I have never
been much of one to enjoy touching other people that I am not
particularly close to. It would not be unreasonable necessarily to shrug off his
needs coldly and simply ignore them- using the description of my limited
role at his home as an excuse. Surely I was not expected to help out in such a way as applying lotion to him. However, I couldn’t help but think
that to reject such an opportunity to help another would go against my
“job description” as a human being. <br />
<br />As I was nearly done with my shift I began filling out the
appropriate paperwork and my eye caught view of the sample tube of
lotion in my periphery. I looked up and saw him shifting his legs
uncomfortably while seated on his favorite pull-out chair worn from
years of use. <br />
<br /><br />“Is your skin still bothering you?” A dumb question for sure. “If you’d like I can help put some lotion on.”<br /> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">His eyes lit up and he responded in the affirmative. <br />
<br /> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I inhaled deeply and took hold of the bottle of lotion and knelt
down in front of his legs. As I squeezed a
generous sized lump of the cool white solution onto my hands I remarked that he
should feel a lot better after his skin was hydrated and truly hoped
this would be so. The skin on his calves and feet, almost a century old,
was very delicate and I had to be gentle and careful as to not be too
rough and cause any damage. It was desperately thin and shifted around under my hands as I moved about, slowly working from his
calves downwards. <br /><br />An image of Jesus flashed in my mind. Of him washing
his disciple’s feet. Of him serving others with compassion and walking
amidst the most broken among us. It occurred to me that when I think of
the sort of heart I am aspiring to have-one of love and compassion, one
that longs to serve and help, it is the heart of Jesus that I see myself as wanting to aspire to. Even though I am now probably the furthest thing from being a Christian, the thought of Jesus still inspires me and floods my consciousness with a sense of peace. I felt a sense of love, compassion and joy. Love and compassion for this man who I have come to know over the past couple of months and a sense of joy in being able to serve him. It seems that the highest expression of love is service. And the world would be undoubtedly a more habitable and peaceful place if more people felt inspired to simply serve those around them. Not just humans either, but all sentient beings. <br /><br />As I drove home that day my cynical nature took over while pondering Jesus and questions came up regarding his true nature as expressed in the New Testament. Yes, he served others and taught compassion but then there is the fact that he walked amidst so many broken people and yet chose to not heal everyone. Also, he taught and preached an exclusive rather than inclusive path. Not everyone was welcomed into God's arms at their passing. You know, the whole "narrow is the path" concept. (Matthew 7:12-14) Perhaps all of that is a subject for another post though. Regardless, I think having archetypes-images that can embody ideas and realities that are meaningful and inspiring to us and that help explain facets of our nature in a way that sometimes words fall short, can be useful. And in this instance, on that afternoon, the image of Jesus manifested itself unprovoked as a clear archetype for compassion and service.<br /><br /><br /><b>Thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Please leave them in the comments section. Thanks!</b></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-34944692062644225682014-03-02T11:31:00.001-08:002014-03-02T13:31:40.783-08:00A Moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSHqi10JjG4/UxN_E3hqAtI/AAAAAAAACcs/bScs8NdYzwA/s1600/blogpostdrop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSHqi10JjG4/UxN_E3hqAtI/AAAAAAAACcs/bScs8NdYzwA/s1600/blogpostdrop.jpg" height="233" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Driving home today from a visit with my grandfather I had what I could only consider to be a profound spiritual experience. It was like someone cut a vein open deep within me and I became like an empty vessel and all of life was flowing through and around me, washing me with its brilliance, pain and fury. A divine humor threading them all together. My senses took in sounds more audibly and life painted itself into view on a more vivid canvas than ever before. <br />
<br />
It's as if my consciousness felt drunk. Not drunk, though, in the way one gets when they wish to forget the world and lose themselves in their chosen poison. No, rather, it's as if I drank to the dregs an elixir that intoxicated my spirit to a degree in which reality filled every fiber of my being. I began to feel a combination of a sort of headiness overpowered by a surge of energy magnifying and intensifying my awareness of the present. <br />
<br />
It was as if everything I saw was a living poem or story. Volumes and volumes of poems, novels and stories poured out of somewhere deep beneath the depths of my consciousness rising swiftly and momentarily to its surface. It was almost as if I reached a metaphorical hand up and took hold of one of the volumes spilling forth I would be able to turn its pages and read them in full. Creativity churned her mighty waters and pressed through the floodgates of my soul, effortlessly unhinging it and causing it to swing open. Life presented itself before me and I saw within myself a thousand souls clamoring for attention but past them a bottomless depth of stillness that carried with it the weight but also release of uncertainty. It is there I felt I saw the answer to the riddle of where peace and realization may be found. It is beneath our layers of multiplicity to the core of the present. I swallowed whole these thousands of souls and plunged towards the stillness.<br />
<br />
I pulled my car over to a church parking lot I was about to pass. I was nearly home but wanted a few minutes to just sit and be and gather my thoughts. To savor the experience a little longer as it still pulsed through me though more faintly than at its conception. <br />
<br />
There were a few scattered cars left but the lot was absent of any other humans. I pressed my head into its rest and breathed deep turning my car momentarily off and looked up at the church's spire. A line of crosses encircled its base as other ones dotted its exterior on its ascension towards the heavens. One, larger than the rest and the color of gold, adorned its peak- displaying a symbol once so prominent in my past. A symbol that once defined who I was and what I believed. Now, it reflected the sun's radiance and shown brilliantly yet left no impression on my spirit any longer.I found it now more foreign than familiar. <br />
<br />
After jotting down some thoughts and taking a few moments to listen to nearby birds that seemed to be singing wistfully of warmer days I started the car once again and let it roll away out of the lot. The crosses appearing smaller and smaller as I glanced back at them in my rear view. My heart was light and my mind eager to try to capture the moments I just had in prose when I finally made it back home. I hope I was able to do that! <br />
<br />
<br />
Thoughts? Please consider sharing them in the comments section. Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-81005871287631029632014-02-22T05:55:00.000-08:002014-02-22T08:52:35.463-08:00Pain's Precipice <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="371">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1jL6xt8NMds/Uwin7a6nt0I/AAAAAAAACcU/lHlFGi02TiQ/s1600/river3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1jL6xt8NMds/Uwin7a6nt0I/AAAAAAAACcU/lHlFGi02TiQ/s1600/river3.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My ears strain to hear his constant chatter as I take orange
halves, breathing deep their scent, and push them over the top of the little
juicer. My palm feels the hard ridges belonging to the circular piece that
spins methodically round and round as I press hard against it. It scrapes the
pulp off the peel to spin below as juice slowly trickles out of the small spout at
the bottom and into the ornately carved glass below. The tiny glass sends me
back to the days of my youth. Of sitting at my grandparent’s kitchen table
after a night of sleeping over with my sister. Poached eggs, grapefruit and
canteloupe before us as well as my grandparent’s loving eyes and warm voices
drifting melodically in a shared space made sacred. A time of memories being
woven deep in the fibers of my consciousness. My heart winces as I know my
grandmother is no more. Her remains now in a marble urn atop my grandfather’s
dresser. Those days gone forever.<br />
<br />
I answer in short phrases as I catch the majority of the conversation. The
fragments I can’t quite make out I try to fill in with what would make sense
and am relieved when I can finally turn the little apparatus off and place a fresh glass of orange juice in his outstretched hand. It shakes profusely, an outward symptom of his
Parkinson’s. <br />
<br />
I feel a sudden surge rise forth within me. Compassion. I want to bring
him comfort, joy. He looks so vulnerable and weak, laying in a bed that has been put in his living room for his convenience. He has lived such a long and extraordinary life. He tells me
stories of being in WWII, of working for the Associated Press designing art for
their publications in New York City and of losing his young wife to cancer. He
is an accomplished painter who has managed to bring to life the ocean, busy
harbors, fighter jets and Marilyn Monroe on simple canvas. I look around and
marvel at his talent. Pure brilliance is captured within the frames that adorn
the ordinary walls of his humble abode and his eyes brighten as I voice my
appreciation towards them. Others that come here to care for him that I talk to
think him a silly old man that rambles on and on. I see him as a genius and if
one only cares to listen he reveals a life where splendor shone daringly at its
crest. I seek to bring him some sense of peace and ease as he now sinks to the
trough of a wave he once fearlessly mastered.<br />
<br />
He does enjoy his talking. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep listening
as I start his breakfast and place his pills before him. Mind<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>still full of energy and ambition, he rattles
on about the art classes he is still teaching and businesses interested in
products he sells that have his artwork displayed on them. Mugs, coasters and
other such items. At a time and condition in life when many just decide to lay
down and succumb to the encroaching illness that is slowly ravaging and
inhibiting his body he is still making business deals and sharing his wisdom
with a new generation. All of this makes me want to shake my first at nature.
At the cruelty of life that would hinder the dreams of someone truly passionate
towards a life worth living when so many <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>seem perfectly content sleepwalking through
it. Many times it is those of us who reside comfortably within the confines of
mediocrity that are free from such impediments as faltering synapses and dying brain cells that bring
rise to shaky hands and the permanently afflicted gait that causes him to grab
hold of furniture in order not to fall when he tries to navigate without his
walker. Something I gently chide him not to do!<br />
<br />
Later on that day he asks me to come up to his studio with him. He is still
trying to finish a painting that he began months ago and every time I’ve caught
glimpses of it my heart sinks more and more and my consciousness shudders at
the realization that his gift has withered away and no longer manifests
itself in the form that once defined it. <br />
<br />
He longs to just make one more piece of art. To paint a portrait of his
daughter who died years ago of cancer. I hear every time he speaks of her that
she was the bulwark of his family and a constant source of joy and
strength, of inspiration and love, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>especially after his wife died. And now she is
no more like so many others he has known and loved. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">An enlarged printed photograph is pinned up
beside the canvas that attempts to capture her image on its surface. I look
around at the portraits of others he has painted throughout the years. They
look so real and lifelike, as if the acrylic they are composed of could easily
transform itself into flesh and they could rise out of their framed dwelling
and live once again. His daughter’s portrait, however, has deteriorated more
and more so that now as I come to face it I don’t know what I should tell him.
If I tell him I’m impressed or it looks fine I would be lying. My mind
momentarily drifts back to the words of Sam Harris in his small book Lying
where he asserts that any lie, even a small lie, is wrong. I decide to keep silent and that works as the silence is soon filled in with his ongoing monologue. <br />
<br />
The painting consists of crude lines and now her visage is inundated with a
dark hue of blue. She looks sad and disfigured. There are two places where you
can see he started her forehead and either one would make sense if the other
were absent. As my eyes settle on the image before me he laments that he is
having trouble deciphering the differing colors and thinks he might have added
too much blue. An understatement if I’ve ever heard one. That’s all there is,
varying shades of blue. <br />
<br />
His eyes are slowly failing him even after multiple surgeries. I begin to sort
out the different tubes of acrylic, caked so heavily with multiple layers of
different paints I have to look at each one’s opening, putting them one by one
up <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>to my eyes and scrutinizing them
carefully, to tell what colors they contain. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He laments openly at the condition of the
painting and goes to point to the eyes of his daughter in the printed
photograph and the unthinkable happens. His fingers wet with paint now smudge one of her eyes that have been gazing at him for so many months. He takes the photo
down immediately and reaches for a piece of paper towel but he gets the paint
from his fingers on it and as he desperately tries to clean the photograph he
gets it even more embedded with dark acrylic paint. He looks up at me, pain's precipice etched in his features in the form of a woeful expression and asks if I can help.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I reach out and gently take hold of his
shaking hand that is moving towards the picture once again. In despair it squeezes tightly the crumpled piece of paper towel wet with paint. I cup his hand with both of mine and slowly take the paper towel out of it. I place it on the table. The picture is not a glossy
photo but a printed copy so one cannot just wipe away the dark smudges of blue
and black. They are absorbed in the fibers of the paper.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I tell him I’m so
sorry. That I will try but I don’t anticipate any success as I think any more
efforts to remove the paint that is there will just ruin the picture even more.
Eventually he tires of the pursuit and pins it back up beside the canvas.
Now two distorted faces of a daughter he once cherished with his whole being
stare gloomily back at him. The brilliance of the lake skirting the periphery
outside of his window and whose surface dances with the sun’s rays shining from
on high is a stark contrast to the mood within the small room. A room stacked with canvases and frames, layered with heaps of tubes of paints and brushes and in this moment impregnated with sorrow. I tell him that
perhaps he could have some lunch and come back to all of this another time. He
thinks that’s a reasonable suggestion and I help him downstairs. <br />
<br />
When I leave that day he is sitting in his favorite chair and it appears as if his spirits seem to be in order once more. His usual
optimism revealing itself in the form of future plans<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">. As I look back a final time I see him close his eyes in fatigue. I silently hope that his dreams take him to the ships and sea that have so long been objects of his adoration. May the sound of busy harbors and lapping waves cradle his consciousness in a temporary peace that can only be attained in the comforting folds of the depthless world of the dreaming state. </span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-73892483957206424542014-01-18T08:06:00.001-08:002014-01-18T08:08:40.511-08:00The Temporary Lamentations of a Mother: A Poem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vGzcHKq1Hw/Utql__og6JI/AAAAAAAACb0/4OpQIk6gu5g/s1600/woods2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vGzcHKq1Hw/Utql__og6JI/AAAAAAAACb0/4OpQIk6gu5g/s1600/woods2.jpg" height="245" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><b> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Picture taken recently on a solo hike through a state park near our home.<br /></span><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br />The Temporary Lamentations of a Mother</b><br /> <br /> Where are you Peace? Like a mirage <br /> Her form shimmers and taunts, <br /> Dancing alluringly in the distant horizon;<br /> Calling, beckoning, only to dissipate into<br /> Darkness when I come close. Impossib<span class="text_exposed_show">le <br /> To grasp, too elusive to seize. <br /> <br /> Thoughts go back to this morning, <br /> Perched attentively in a half lotus <br /> Position. Listening to the harmony of <br /> My home slowly enter into my awareness <br /> I became one with my breath, rising and falling<br /> rising and falling, to its own uneven cadence. <br /> Sounds of birds in the distance outside my windows, <br /> their songs accompanying the rising sun <br /> spreading her glorious garment <br /> open wide before a new day, <br /> the hum of our refrigerator, the muffled sounds of my<br /> Husband snoring; all participants of <br /> The disjointed orchestra of life playing<br /> Its rhythms out all around me. <br /> My breath having its own small role as <br /> I bear witness to it all; my soul taking <br /> A momentary break and simply resting<br /> In the moment. <br /> <br /> Hours later I find my bedroom door locked. <br /> Mommy just gave herself a time out. <br /> Two little criminals, bliss-snatchers, <br /> that once gestated in my womb<br /> are now placated after a bout <br /> of intense bickering and whining. <br /> Tears dried following stern admonishing<br /> they now joyfully watch a movie together, <br /> snuggled close beneath a cozy blanket. <br /> <br /> I try to breathe deep again, finding grounding <br /> in the present, finding a foundation of peace <br /> from which my words and actions can compassionately<br /> extend themselves from as the day continues. <br /> I am no fool. I know full well that the crashing waves <br /> of ambivalence and resistance will once again rise up and fall<br /> Down mercilessly on the shores of my experience.<br /> This temporary break in chaos is temporary indeed, <br /> So dictates the law of Impermanence.<br /> <br /> But there is no foundation, that’s all an illusion. <br /> There is just a watery flow of intentions pirouetting <br /> with various inputs and outputs, some dark, some light,<br /> shifting and pulsing. Life’s river beckoning me in to either<br /> Drown or heal me who knows. <br /> I laugh at the absurdity of it all. Life, a kaleidoscope<br /> of pain, loss, sorrow, ecstasy, peace and joy. And plunge<br /> myself into her dark and swirling waters.<br /> <br /> I know soon I will exit my room, already feeling <br /> A bit more whole again after vomiting up my<br /> reflections In prose. My soul putting on her dancing<br /> shoes, for she now realizes she chooses to dance <br /> amidst Joy’s gay tune, after all, why not? <br /> Leaving sorrow in broken shards at her feet, <br /> unlocking the bedroom door only after unlocking<br /> the light hidden within her deep recesses, <br /> I will welcome my offspring once again into my arms;<br /> realizing that we don’t need to seek light, <br /> We have it within ourselves all along and<br /> we can conceive and bring it forth on our own.</span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-63599082822259183302014-01-11T11:16:00.003-08:002014-01-11T12:07:20.812-08:00Alone: A Poem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4uLDLlu1B2M/UtGRD08UZcI/AAAAAAAACbk/kJP1vRqzZvo/s1600/river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4uLDLlu1B2M/UtGRD08UZcI/AAAAAAAACbk/kJP1vRqzZvo/s1600/river.jpg" height="300" width="400" /><br /><br /></a></div>
<span class="userContent"><br /><b><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Alone</b><br /><br /><br />I wish this world would leave me alone for awhile, <br /> We've danced our dance and she offers little worthwhile.<br /> Just a sea of ever swelling absurdity, <br /> Phony characters wearing garbs of superficiality. <br /> Give me the shelter of an old oak tree,<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Skirting the curves of a gentle river.<br /> It is there my heart will fly free,</span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Releasing an ecstatic shiver.<br /> Peace to be found in observing life at play,<br /> The moon to keep me company at night,<br /> The song of birds to fill my empty heart by day.<br /><br /><br />~~~<br /><br />I wrote this short poem this morning. A gentle rain was falling outside and I longed to transport myself to my favorite perching place alongside a river that has captured my heart, oftentimes mending it when it feels shattered. Longing also to drift down the trails that etch themselves criss-cross through a mantle of evergreen that broadly adorns her curvacious figure. <br /><br />When I am out amongst this living sanctuary, a kaleidoscope of earthy tones, I feel completely free to be myself, unhindered by the shallow and superficial expectations of man. Unencumbered by the superficiality that seems to define this material world. To simply be and bear witness to a living, breathing web of life unfolding before my senses. <br /><br />Well, an exodus to her waters today is simply not doable. Who knows the next time my heart will find itself soaring with the hawks that circle above her or riding her many currents that boldly race southward to sweep up more admirers in their voyage towards deeper waters. <br /><br />No matter where I find myself I have her form etched in my consciousness and need only to look inward to be reminded of the peace such solitude and beauty affords. Peace that my heart aches for during times of uncertainty, restlessness and/or grief. <br /><br />Do you have a place where you long to go that restores and refreshes your spirit? A place that above all others your heart feels most at home? If so, please feel free to share in the comments section. <br /><br />Thank you! </span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-88649490586616424702014-01-03T02:38:00.002-08:002014-01-03T03:31:36.798-08:00A Matter of Perspective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XP0Q_L1mY5w/UsaQKi6QJEI/AAAAAAAACbU/y-QYi4X7Dtk/s1600/Perspective.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XP0Q_L1mY5w/UsaQKi6QJEI/AAAAAAAACbU/y-QYi4X7Dtk/s320/Perspective.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Sometimes it's all a matter of perspective. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (picture is a rain drop taken while on a hike)</span><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br />It's been awhile since I last posted. My family and I have been experiencing lots of changes and life has been swiftly flowing. This morning I woke up at 2 am, an hour after my dog last nudged me awake to take her out. I realized it was futile to stay in bed as thoughts began to race in my head and I rationalized that it would only be two hours earlier than I usually wake up. Oh, what the hey, why not? <br /><br />I sat in front of the computer screen and felt the urge to write. It's been so long and the house was so quiet. I love a quiet house. Lately my children have enjoyed playing video games and watching movies. That has become more and more regular now that we are well into winter and it's freezing outside. I find the sound emanating from the glorified box in our living room irritating and it oftentimes causes me to retreat in my own room while it is endlessly drones on as the wind whistles a hollow tune outside. <br /><br />What to write? I wasn't sure but didn't feel too philosophical. An image of a woman I will see later on today that I work for flashed in my mind. I was reminded of a moment while cleaning her house that we had not too long ago and decided to just write about that. I put it in the form of a poem but I probably could have just made it into a post. It's just the form it starting taking at 2:30 in the morning! I wanted to share it now because if I don't post it now I'm not sure I will. It's unedited so pardon the roughness of it. <br /><br />I would love your thoughts! Please leave them in the comments section. Thank you! <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><br />Arrows</span></b></span></span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="371">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I tell her the story of Buddha, <br />
Born a prince and curious about the world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Exposed to a suffering he never imagined<br />
outside of his once insulated life,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He sought to rid the world of it. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><br /><br />As I sweep the floor I come to one of my</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Favorite parts of the story. On the Eve of <br />
the Buddha’s enlightenment, the demon Mara</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Attempts many times to defeat him. In his final try <br />
he sends fiery arrows across the waters at
Siddhartha. <br />
As they sail on a sure and steady</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Arc towards our hero, finding detachment and compassion</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He transforms them into flowers that fall harmlessly </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At his side. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><br /><br />We reflect on that. <br />
I turn my eyes in her direction.<br />She has become more than a woman <br />
I come over and help do the things that she can no longer do.<br />
She has become a little oasis I find myself venturing to twice a week.<br />
A warm place of laughter and shared moments. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Peaches, her cat, runs her left flank<br />
alongside my calf in a gesture of affection<br />
as I reach up to dust the corners of the ceiling.</span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">She is a woman that is no stranger to fiery arrows. <br />
I go in her room to put the vacuum away. A bedroom <br />
void of a bed for she can no longer get in or out of one <br />
on her own. Living every moment now in her chair.<br />
I remember the first time she told me that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The image of stretching
one’s legs out under the covers</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On a soft mattress filled my mind. What an awful thing to</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Never be able to do again. And at only fifty years. <br />
So much more time left sitting and reclining. Reclining</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And sitting. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">She tells me of when her mother found out she had MS. <br />
“Amy, you should really think about the
things in your life <br />
that you might have done to deserve this.<br />
You must have done something really<br />
bad to make God punish you like this.” <br />
Shocked, my friend immediately <br />
expressed her rejection of such an idea of God. <br />
God does not punish. God is good. <br />
And God will turn her fiery <br />
arrows into flowers, her sadness into joy, <br />
her suffering into opportunities to give and to learn. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br /><br /><br />She asks me what I think and I agree. She is not overly religious</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But holds a quiet and simple faith tucked in the folds of
her</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Heart. A sacred place I dare not tread with my skepticism. </span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br /><br /><br />A glowing optimism emanates from her countenance</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">and serves as the vessel that carries her above the</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Furious waves of heartache, humiliation and turmoil. <br />
I feel I can relate in a way as I share that same sense <br />that we can transform ugliness </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Into beauty, obstacles into stepping stones, <br />
frustration into peace. Sometimes it seems all a matter of <br />
perspective. A matter of unbinding ourselves to the <br />
material that has a way of sticking to our consciousness </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like sap to bark.</span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<br /><br /><br />I gently close the door when I leave,<br />
warm skin meeting winter's icy chill.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pulling out of the lot and into the dark night, </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I glance in my rear view mirror and watch as <br />the light from her window<br /> melts into the retreating distance.</span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-86652261124909941342013-10-05T18:54:00.000-07:002013-10-05T19:19:20.268-07:00Lessons in Impermanence <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yJcg4VUZo6E/UlDCW1nHq8I/AAAAAAAACaI/vAurAwBR2q8/s1600/artbybay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yJcg4VUZo6E/UlDCW1nHq8I/AAAAAAAACaI/vAurAwBR2q8/s320/artbybay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br />I ascended the narrow staircase holding a plastic cup filled about
three quarters of the way with cold iced tea. I warmly complimented the
room’s view of our town’s lake while wiping the condensation that had
already formed on its exterior off before placing it in his outstretched
hand.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />It was my second visit to his place. A man I had started seeing but
would only see for a few times as I was a “fill in” for another worker
that needed the time off. I have recently taken on another part time
job. For this one I visit people who live at home but need extra
assistance with everyday chores that they are no longer able to do.
Also, some just need good company; someone to talk to, someone to listen
to them.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />He drank deep then put it down with a thud on the windowsill that
lined the wall on his left side. Eagerly taking up his brush again he
dipped it in the small pile of acrylic paint that rested on a sheet of
cardboard in front of him. Paint he had squeezed out of a tube that now
found its home in a haphhazard pile of similar looking tubes all
bedecked with caked layers of various colored hues. His arms appeared
bruised and I looked twice with concern before realizing that it was
just a dark layer of greyish brown paint that had come to adorn his
upper limbs like garish sleeves.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />He was a painter, though he had done many thing in his lifetime up
until now. Along his hallways and in every room his paintings ornamented
the walls. Sailboats and fighter jets. Portraits of John Wayne and
other celebrities stared back at me as I would raise my head to meet
their airy glances upon rising after unplugging the vaccum cleaner.
Probably his most favorite thing to paint was scenes from the shore.
Sailboats, harbors and piers. I could almost hear the flutter of the
flags atop a ship in one of his paintings he had managed to make it come
to life so vividly and masterfully. Some of his paintings had sold and
were for sale for thousands of dollars.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />I looked down at the painting he now worked on. A crude outline of an
airplane with little details dully met my gaze. He looked up at me and
our eyes met.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />“I don’t paint like I used to. But I still love it. And will keep
doing it no matter what. Until I can’t pick up my brush any longer. My
eyes, you see, they have a degenerative disease. I’ve already had
cataract surgery and they fixed that. But nobody can fix my eyesight
from slowly going away.”.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />I tried to change the subject by complimenting on a painting that was behind him of an attractive blonde girl smiling radiantly.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />“That’s my daughter. She died a year ago of cancer. She fought hard
for four long years but she just couldn’t keep up with it. Went through
chemo and everything.”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />Shaking his head sadly he went on.<br /><br />"My wife died 36 years ago and now my daughter. You just never know
when someone will leave you. When they will be taken. Everything is fine
and normal one day and it’s like they are just plucked right out of
your life the next. You just aren’t ever the same after that. Never the
same.”
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My heart cringed and all the faces of those I have lost came flooding
forward in my consciousness. My paternal Grandmother I lost in middle
school. My high school friend Erin who died of cancer. Another high
school friend Katie who died unexpectedly from an undetected congenital
heart defect. And yet another high school friend Brendan who, after his
car had broken down on the side of the road and he walked on the
shoulder to get help, got struck by a drunk driver and died shortly
after being rushed to the hospital. My good friend Jim who was like a
brother to me who died of a drug overdose in college. My grandmother who
died last May. What to speak of all the close animal companions I have
lost along the way. What he said was so true and reminded me of the
impermanence of life and how it is so important to savor each moment
with those we love and to make the most of our time here.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Later that night, too exhausted to read, I thought I’d peruse some
videos of Radhanath Swami’s lectures and came across a short one that
made that afternoon with my client immediately come to mind.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The video is of a story Radhanath Swami tells in his book, The
Journey Home. Conveniently, I recognized that I had taken down a quote
from the story and had it already on my quotes page devoted to quotes
from his book. This is the quote I have that is the main theme of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soql6g1zXFo">the video</a>, one of which is undoubtedly very beneficial to reflect on. I
encourage you to watch the video in its entirety as well.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">“The
unsuspecting fish, who knew nothing but life in the river, went about
its routine like any other day, but in an instant was ripped out of its
reality to meet with death. Like that fish, we routinely live our lives
hardly aware that, at the very least expected moment, the yellow-eyed
hawk of fate in the form of crises, tragedy, or even death, may wrench
us out of our comfortable environment. We regularly hear of it in the
news or see it around us but rarely take seriously that it could happen
to us. Perhaps the lesson here is to guard against complacency and give
higher priority to our spiritual needs. If the fish swam deeper, the
hawk would not be able to reach it. Similarly, if we go deeper into our
connection to God, we will find an inner reality so deep and so
satisfying that it lifts the consciousness to a place where we could
deal with the effects of unforeseeable fate with a stable, detached
mind.” </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"> ~ Radhanath Swami, The Journey Home, p. 291-92</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Nothing in this material world lasts. I try to teach my children that as
I find them getting unnecessarily distressed when even the smallest of
their trinkets break. Not only do inanimate objects rust and decay, but
so do our bodies and with them our abilities, just like my client’s
ability to paint. Our eyesight eventually gets less keen and our bodies
age as well as those of our loved ones. Impermanence is a sad fact of
living in this material world but our impression of it doesn’t
necessarily have to end leaving us with a lingering sadness. For our
misery while experiencing the impermanent can be a catalyst in prompting us to dig deeper spiritually and seek a peace and love that is everlasting. <br /><br /><br />It's been awhile since I've last posted. I plan on posting hopefully at least a couple of times a month here. A lot of things are happening in my personal life. For years I have stayed home with my children and now find myself back to work having not one, but two jobs! I also have become more spiritually focused and now am chanting my mantra (the mahamantra) 16 rounds a day, which also takes up quite a bit of my time. I hope, though, when I do post, my readers will enjoy what I continue to write. And please feel free to leave your reflections in the comments section. Thank you! </span></span></span><br />
<br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-17826342415013599762013-07-26T07:13:00.000-07:002013-07-26T07:13:42.185-07:00Andrew Newberg: Think Like the CIA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8jl7rUqjoyE/UfKDgw3_dCI/AAAAAAAACFg/JBPcbFs973k/s1600/cia-seal-1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8jl7rUqjoyE/UfKDgw3_dCI/AAAAAAAACFg/JBPcbFs973k/s320/cia-seal-1024x768.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of Google Images</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In his book, "Why We Believe What We Believe", author Andrew Newberg lists eight strategies that the CIA uses to teach its intelligence gathering anaylsts to think more wisely and open-mindedly. This allows them to analyze situations more critically and thus be able to construct more effective solutions to problems. <br /><br /><br />As much as I shy away from taking advice from our government I consider these strategies, which Newberg gleaned from a CIA handbook, ones that are beneficial for everyone to keep in mind as we navigate our way through everyday circumstances as well as try to make sense of some of the events in the world, both local and global. Some of the suggestions might seem like common sense while others might be new ideas to be considered for implementation. Some of the ideas listed seem to be very similar, yet if you read them closely, there are distinctions between them. <br /><br /><br />I hope you find them useful! <br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8 Strategies to Think More Critically </b></span><br /><br /><br />
<br />
(1) Become proficient in developing alternative points of view. <br /><br />(2) Do not assume that the other person will think or act like you.<br /><br />(3) Think backward. Instead of thinking about what might happen, put yourself into the future and try to explain how a potential situation could have occurred. <br /><br />(4) Imagine that the belief you are currently holding is wrong, and then develop a scenario to explain how that could be true. This helps you to see the limitations of your beliefs. <br /><br />(5) Try out the other person's beliefs by actually acting out the role. This breaks you out of seeing the world through the habitual patters of your own beliefs. <br /><br />(6) Play "devil's advocate" by taking the minority point of view. This helps you see how alternative assumptions make the world look different. <br /><br />(7) Brainstorm. A quantity of ideas leads to quality because the first ones that come to mind are those that reflect old beliefs. New ideas help you to break free of emotional blocks and social norms. <br /><br />(8) Interact with people of different backgrounds and beliefs. <br /><i><br /><br />From: "Why We Believe What We Believe", Andrew Newberg, p. 259</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Which strategy do you find most useful? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks!</b>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-76032365079596565402013-07-22T18:25:00.000-07:002013-07-26T07:09:57.738-07:00Sam Harris: Spirituality and Mysticism<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--XaNx1hrbrE/Ue3VMcVW64I/AAAAAAAACAU/8niC0mLhgLk/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--XaNx1hrbrE/Ue3VMcVW64I/AAAAAAAACAU/8niC0mLhgLk/s1600/1.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In a recent post I expressed my dissatisfaction regarding the seemingly subjective nature of spirituality and announced my resolve to focus on investigating and exploring areas that at least offer the chance of obtaining some clarity into the nature of things. I figured I would turn to science, whose scalpel of reason appears to quite effectively slice away at misconceptions and whose systematic approach focuses on objectively finding answers.Since then I have read a couple of books that have really made me reflect more deeply on my decision to forgo spirituality in its entirety and I'm starting to see that perhaps in my frustration over what seems an unending battle between intellect and heart, and my apparent thirst for some sort of clear direction in which to proceed in my pursuit of truth, that I might have entered into the mindset Ken Wilber would label as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber">"flatland"</a>. A tunnel vision way of thinking that focuses completely on that which can be scientifically measured and analyzed. <br />
<br />
The two books I have read recently and that really started making me re-think my approach was Andrew Newberg's book, "Why We Believe What We Believe" and Sam Harris' book, "The End of Faith". I would like to mostly focus on what Sam Harris has to say regarding spirituality in the last chapter of his book, so I will only briefly note that in Newberg's book it became clear to me that science can also be laden with a level of subjectivity has well. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...personal experience is subject to numerous perceptional, emotional, and cognitive distortions that occur at every stage of neural processing. What is finally summoned forth into consciousness turns out to be a very limited and subjective view of the world. <br />
<br />
Science tries systematically to utilize subjective experience to measure objective reality, but even scientific views of reality differ. Every hypothesis finds dissenting views, so scientists themselves are challenged to choose who or what to believe. Furthermore a scientist's belief system can influence the outcome of a study as much as a theologian's belief system can influence his or her perception of the world." ~ p. 280</blockquote>
<br />
It seems like everywhere I turn subjectivism is glaring me in the face! From science to spirituality. Though, I do think spirituality is given more of a free ticket in allowing the imagination to take flight and encouraging one's mind to lift off of the foundation of reason and into the open skies of ambiguity and subjective speculation which, to me, is no way of going about trying to ascertain any sense of clarity into the nature of the Absolute. So, is it possible to wed reason with spirituality and erect a meaningful yet logical platform in which to proceed on one's journey towards understanding? Sam Harris seems to think so. <br />
<br />
<br />
In his book Harris points out that spirituality has been a source of transformation for man since our very beginning and that it certainly can provide one with a deep sense of meaning, clarity, inspiration and depth. Spirituality itself is not necessarily the culprit that battles reason and plunges seekers headfirst into delusion, but more so religion. Harris points out that there is an underlying essence that carries much truth and lives at the heart of all religions and spiritual traditions. These truths were most easily recognized and espoused by their mystics but covered up by false layers of dogma and doctrine; religion's sweltering blanket smothering their fragile lights.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"Mysticism is a rational enterprise. Religion is not. The mystic has recognized something about the nature of consciousness prior to thought, and this recognition is susceptible to rational discussion. The mystic has reasons for what he believes and these reasons are empirical. The roiling mystery of the world can be analyzed with concepts (this is science), or it can be experienced free of concepts (this is mysticism)...<br />
<br />
A kernel of truth lurks at the heart of religion, because spiritual experience, ethical behavior and strong communities are essential for human happiness... While spiritual experience is clearly a natural propensity of the human mind, we need not believe anything on insufficient evidence to actualize it. Clearly, it must be possible to bring reason, spirituality, and ethics together in our thinking about the world." (p. 221)</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Harris points to the rational and systematic approach in empirically studying the nature of consciousness and reality that the philosophies in the East have and how they contain gems of wisdom derived from those who used their consciousness as laboratories. Those who chose not to superimpose fanciful false layers of myth but instead dove straight into experience and extracted precious truths.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
" Even the contemporary literature on consciousness, which spans philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, and neuroscience, cannot match the kind of precise, phenomenological studies that can be found throughout Buddhist canon." Harris goes on to say, "Mysticism to be viable , requires explicit instructions, which need suffer no more ambiguity or artifice in their exposition than we find in a manual for operating a lawn mower. Some traditions realized this millennia ago." ( p. 217)</blockquote>
<br />
The "manual" like instructions that Harris is referring to are the similar techniques mystics and yogis the world over have discovered in which to allow oneself to enter into the state where "our sense of "self"-of subject/object dualism in perception and cognition-can be made to vanish, while consciousness remains vividly aware of the continuum of experience."( p. 217)<br />
<br />
I found Harris' views on spirituality and mysticism refreshing. Overall what I got from the last chapter of his book, The End of Faith, is that spirituality can be approached in a rational manner implementing reason and logic. That any interpretation of what one experiences should be compared by, might we say a "peer review" of sorts, with other conclusions of those who have explored the nature of consciousness themselves. The mystics, those who themselves have traversed the landscape of consciousness, are great examples of sources to draw from for they have provided maps for those who wish to make similar journeys in the form of texts like the Buddhist canons and the Vedas. Even the Western religions offer their own mystics for one to extract insight and direction from-Islam has Sufis like Rumi and no one need look any further than Jesus when looking at Christianity for an example of someone who attained to a self-realized state.<br />
<br />
So, in closing, after some introspection, reading and insightful conversations lately I've decided that I would be rejecting the very reason I am attempting to implement in my pursuit of truth and understanding if I turned away from spirituality completely. Instead, I will proceed practicing the disciplines that I have found meaningful and inspirational. However, I will do so with caution as to not be led astray by interpreting any of my experiences with any undo sentimentalism and while simultaneously discovering the wonders of the natural world that have been revealed by science. By developing the widest lens in which to perceive things as they are I will hopefully progress in a fruitful direction that will at some point allow mind and heart to converge in a harmonious consensus. Okay...being completely optimistic. ;) <br />
<br />
Your thoughts are always appreciated in the comments section. Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-85891708523834254852013-06-20T18:25:00.002-07:002013-06-20T18:25:34.235-07:00These Waters: A Poem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OjRDOr864o/UcOqcv0HpPI/AAAAAAAAB94/Qaa0INfq_8s/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OjRDOr864o/UcOqcv0HpPI/AAAAAAAAB94/Qaa0INfq_8s/s320/038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span class="" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Picture taken last year on the bay side of Wellfleet,MA</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Nearly
every summer, since childhood to the present, I have returned annually
to the shores of Cape Cod spending days walking along its sandy beaches
and gazing at colorful kites pirouetting across its sun drenched skies.<br /><br />
<br /><br />As my family and I make preparations to have our senses once again
inundated with the exhilarating combination of salt air and invigorating
waters I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that every time I come
back to this place of abundant memories I return a different person. </span><br /><br />One
year I remember going up to that most treasured peninsula jutting out
from the eastern seaboard as a child dreaming of being an astronaut.
Mesmerized by the heavens I sat, wide-eyed, gazing out at the view
before me stretching out into infinity. Another summer I went up as a
bright eyed dreamer envisioning that I would change the world and
someday ride the ocean's waves on Greenpeace rafts and save whales from
being murdered. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /><br />I've returned to the beaches of Cape
Cod as a new Christian in my later teen years, hymns pouring out of my
heart and out across the sea, lifting my praise towards a Creator whom I
recognized through Jesus. I've gone up there in the summer of my first
year of college, finding love and passion in the same places where I
once dug holes to make swimming pools for dolls toted along in pails.
Just last summer I arose while my family still slumbered to walk where
wave meets sand, my lone foot prints trekking through damp sediment. I
mindfully chanted my mantra on japa mala beads as fishermen prepared for
their morning ventures.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /><br />What of this year? Where do I
"find" myself now? I return to the place of my childhood feeling much
like a blank slate in many ways, spiritually speaking. I've pretty much
abandoned any notion of dogma or doctrine, any assumption into the
spiritual. This time around I am seeking only to witness the life
reverberating around me in a more complete way as I practice mindfulness
and simply enjoy witnessing my children explore the wonders that once
thrilled me as a child. Perhaps some new insight will come, or perhaps a
poem will be born or an idea to pursue when I return home. I do have a collection of books I am bringing, my journal, and my japa mala bag. Such things I can't imagine traveling without!</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /><br />No
matter where my heart or head is at, the one thing I love about Cape
Cod is that I always feel I've come home when I return. It's as if the
deepest part within me sighs, loosening up parts wound tight to open and
receive a new found joy as brilliant as the sparks that seem to dance
atop the waters.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /><br />Reflecting on all of this I wrote a short poem today between folding clothes and sorting socks. I hope you enjoy it. I haven't really edited it yet, so I am posted it as it is. <br /><b><br /><br /><br />Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you!</b><span class="" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span class="" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /><b><br />These Waters</b></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span class="" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br />I've<span class=""> entered these waters with various dress<br /> as a child of God these waves caressed<br /> my self once ignited with passion and zeal<br /> For a God in my heart I once held real.<br /> <br /> I've entered a dreamer, a poet, a child-<br /> a mother, a lover, with dreams running wild.<br /> I've walked along where water meets shore churning white,<br /> Reciting my mantra, my heart taking swift flight.<br /> <br /> I've met these waters with pen in hand<br /> Sketching out thoughts as numbered as the sands.<br /> This time I come, my slate nearly wiped clean,<br /> Only seeking to breathe deep these waters blue and green.<br /> <br /> Longing to watch the seagulls circling high,<br /> Reeds bending neath Atlantic's steady sigh<br /> The boats drifting as boats often do<br /> across a seascape of caerulean blue.</span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-27957802750910606932013-05-11T19:44:00.000-07:002013-05-11T19:44:42.443-07:00Turning Point: Embracing Skepticism <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6ERL3T6gfE/UY7-BkrbHmI/AAAAAAAABiM/wKayGPoYueg/s1600/blogost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6ERL3T6gfE/UY7-BkrbHmI/AAAAAAAABiM/wKayGPoYueg/s320/blogost.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">One needs only to scroll down the titles and peruse the content of my recent posts to know that I have been really struggling to make sense of things lately. Battling between mind and heart and trying to find clarity amidst two different paths that seem to call me both to them with nearly equal strength. <br /><br />The following I wrote a few days ago in my online journal. I believe I have been really battling with my skepticism for some time now. It has been an aid for me for sure in the past. It has helped slough off layers of misconceptions that clouded my perception of things and was key in bringing me into awareness of the attachments that I needed to let go of at the time in order to pursue the truth more rationally. But then I believe it kept taking off layers that were perhaps just as necessary to remove as the previous ones but the difference being with these was that I started to feel uncomfortable when they were threatening to come off. So I found myself struggling mightily to resist skepticism and maintain that which preserved my sense of security. Now, after considerable reading and reflection and angst, I am deciding to embrace my skepticism and endure what is hopefully temporary discomfort in order to pursue the truth less tethered by illusions. <br /><br />Well, I don't want to write too much because I believe my entry will speak for itself. I just want to note beforehand that I hope none of my readers are offended at some of the conclusions I have been coming too. It is not my intention to offend but to be genuinely honest in revealing, stage by stage, what I am encountering and experiencing in my search for the truth into the nature of reality.<br /><br /><br /><br />-----<br /><br />It started to occur to me lately that I have potentially been caught up in a futile endeavor. I've been looking only into the areas of spirituality and religion in my pursuit for truth into the nature of reality. Thinking that within ancient texts, within the teachings of saints and yogis, there can be precious jewels of realization into the Absolute to be found. In exclusively looking to those sources I contradicted my own rule of not using presuppositions while digging for the truth. It was like at the beginning of my journey I set off knowing whereabouts my destination would be-in the region of the Divine somewhere. I presupposed that wherever my journey would take me it would lead me closer to God, whatever or whoever He is. That even if He wasn't personal that there were transcendental realities that existed. I also naturally assumed from the very start that within every living being there was an eternal essence which came from something Divine, that is something that I have always maintained.<br /><br />All of my presuppositions could very well be true and for sure there are seemingly intuitive moments of clarity where they most definitely seem true. But, what I'm coming to find is that really nothing into the transcendental nature of things can truly be known with any substantial certainty and the plain fact is that they could also be false. It doesn't mean that there aren't realities that we cannot perceive that do exist. Certainly there's lots of things that we have not been able to detect in the past that we can now-like radio waves, waves of light, etc. via new technology. And we are sure to discover more as time goes on. But when it comes to questions of whether or not there is a soul, maybe there is no real point in asking such questions because there's no real way of finding an answer. Or, maybe before considering such questions and looking for religion/spirituality to provide an answer, we should first look at what can be known and after that re-assess the question and see if it still has merit. <br /><br /><br />I'm finding that religions and spiritual philosophies fall exceedingly short if not impede greatly in any potential glimpse or experience one can have of what really Is. When I really think about things objectively I am finding myself agreeing with many philosophers and great thinkers that I have come across in their conclusion that religion and even God are artificial constructs. Simple as that. <br /><br /><br />Even though reality in its entirety seems nearly inconceivable to ever truly "know", there are things that we can know and discover. We might not be able to "know" the nature of things in their entirety but we can come to know a lot and in the process come to realize and appreciate reality in a deeper way than we wouldn't have otherwise because we are coming to understand different and very real facets of it, rather than ascribing to speculations and conjectures towards it.<br /><br />So, I guess the theme of this stream of consciousness entry is that I'm starting to wonder what the point is of chasing after what really can never be known with any measure of certainty when one can discover what can be known?...Is the former merely akin to chasing a mirage while the latter can be perceived as plunging into the roaring ocean's tide , tasting and feeling, truly experiencing, a tiny fraction of its greatness for oneself? Yes, we might not be able to canvass the whole ocean for example (yet), knowing intimately its depths. But we can learn to understand as much as we can, and find ourselves in a reverent sense of awe while doing so, digesting the fact that there are even more untold treasures teeming beneath its waves. So, true, of reality as a whole and all the mysteries it holds. </span></span><br />
<br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br />Your thoughts are always welcome. Please consider leaving them in the comments section. Thank you!</span></span></i>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-45374267286936111522013-05-06T06:40:00.001-07:002013-05-06T06:40:19.245-07:00The Human Problem (Excerpt from The Wisdom of Insecurity)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qakhue0UAPg/UYerfiPjyWI/AAAAAAAABWk/tR1sVA2Llzc/s1600/231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qakhue0UAPg/UYerfiPjyWI/AAAAAAAABWk/tR1sVA2Llzc/s320/231.JPG" width="239" /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">My last post delved into describing the current state of skepticism I have now found myself in, yet again. Though there is a spiritual path within the Vedas that I have investigated and have been pursuing for some time now I have realized that skepticism is part of my nature and I must step back and assess my motives for pursuing the path that seems to call out to me. Might I return to it? I very well might. It's a beautiful path that promises hope and peace and certainly elicits positive changes in one's life. However, I have also realized that the heart can be misleading at times and I have to allow my intellect more latitude. For it will not rest, it seems, until every stone is unturned.<br /><br />A book that I found really illuminating during a past state of spiritual transition, The Wisdom of Insecurity, I have returned to once again in hopes of perhaps extracting new gems of insights from its pages. I want to be actively challenged right now in testing the way in which reality should properly be perceived. I want to see things as they are. To try to find a direction in which to orient my compass that, though it might bring me off this plateau of indecision and into dark forests that seem perilous with snares, will lead me closer to the truth. Might the needle turn me around to retrace my prior steps back towards the beautiful sense of spirituality I had discovered? It very well might. Might it instead lead me in another direction, towards the more unknown and unchartered waters of agnosticism in which I dipped my toes in, in the past, and after doing so decided the water was too cold and unruly and headed for the safety of the shore? It very well might. Time will tell I suppose.<br /><br />I'd like to share an excerpt from the book I'm reading. I emphasized some parts that I found particularly thought provoking and most likely will take some of them individually and write separate posts on them. I hope you enjoy it even if you don't agree with it. <br /><br />I welcome your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">This, then, is<b> the human problem: there is a price to be paid in every increase of consciousness.</b> We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain. By remembering the past we can plan for the future. But the ability to plan for pleasure is offset by the "ability" to dread pain and to fear the unknown. Furthermore, the growth of an acute sense of past and the future gives us a correspondingly dim sense of the present. In other words, we seem to reach a point where the advantages of being conscious are outweighed by its disadvantages, where extreme sensitivity makes us unadaptable. </span></span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />Under these circumstances we feel in conflict with our own bodies and the world around them, and it is consoling to be able to think that in this contradictory world we are but "strangers and pilgrims." <b>For if our desires are out of accord with anything that the finite world can offer, it might seem that our nature is not of this world, but for infinity. The discontent of our souls would appear to be the sign and seal of their divinity. </b><br /><br /><b>But does the desire for something prove that the thing exists?</b> We know that it does not necessarily do so at all. It may be consoling to think that we are citizens of another world than this, and that after our exile upon earth we may return to the true home of our heart's desire. But if we <i>are</i> citizens of this world , and if there can be no final satisfaction of the soul's discontent, has not nature, in bringing forth man, made a serious mistake?<br /><br />For it would seem that, in man, life is hopeless conflict with itself. To be happy, we must have what we cannot have. <b>In man, nature has conceived desires which it is impossible to satisfy. </b>To drink more fully of the fountain of pleasure, it has brought forth capacities which make man the more susceptible to pain. It has given us the power to control the future but a little- the price of which is the frustration of knowing that we must at last go down in defeat. If we find this absurd, this is only to say that nature has conceived intelligence in us to berate itself for absurdity.<b> Consciousness seems to be nature's ingenious mode of self-torture. </b><br /><br />Of course we do not want to think that this is true. But it would be easy to show that most reasoning to the contrary is but wishful thinking-nature's method of putting off suicide so that the idiocy can continue. Reasoning, then, is not enough. We must go deeper. We must look into this life, this nature, which has become aware within us, and find out whether it is really in conflict with itself, whether it <i>actually</i> desires the security and the painlessness which its individual forms can never enjoy.<br /><br />~ Alan Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity, p. 36-38</span></span></blockquote>
<br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-24317452617537040392013-05-01T14:31:00.000-07:002013-05-01T14:31:37.590-07:00Skepticism's Spiral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OIzaU_XOgi0/UYF99Q1P6yI/AAAAAAAABPA/BqejYUjv8Kc/s1600/newpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OIzaU_XOgi0/UYF99Q1P6yI/AAAAAAAABPA/BqejYUjv8Kc/s320/newpic.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /><br /><br />My soul awoke parched and longing this morning. An emptiness calling out to be filled emanated from deep within me. Words rang hollow in Smith's book, further deepening my perceived drought, and all the sources I have cherished for so long seem tasteless and dull to my interior's palate. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">I feel naked this morning, stripped of belief, stripped of the hope of ever knowing anything. I feel like an agnostic, or even worse, maybe an atheist, and that leaves an emptiness so vast it is like a bottomless abyss. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"> Where is this fresh feeling of being alive with wonder? Of thinking anything is possible? And if all that there is , is all that there is, why does the thought of that leave me with such a feeling of despair? Is there some credibility to the transcendental in that my heart rejects the idea of reality as being almost like a mechanical web, of constantly shifting and interrelated parts, (though my mind draws me towards that idea), and instead craves for more depth, more meaning, a nourishment that is lost to me this morning? Or is this longing more some kind of deficiency in my sense of reason? Some weakness on my part of conjuring up artificial constructs in the guise of spirituality, which seem so real sometimes, and yet in a moment of lucidity seem so created: self-induced delusions?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Am I unable to face reality fully? A reality that might entirely be devoid of anything transcendental? I'd make a crappy atheist as I am always seeking for spiritual depth, yet I am hopeless as any kind of believer as I am continually doubting, questioning, and turning away from every ideology that seems, at least for a time, to call me to it. At the end of the day, even if there are transcendental realities, perhaps the fact is that our human minds and hearts haven't a clue as to their scope or form and any attempts at conceiving them are but grasps in the dark, futile reaching for revelations which will always be partial at best.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">I find myself in a situation I've never been in before and it almost leaves me in somewhat of a mild panic. I can't find anything satisfying to read! Spiritual texts no longer resonate, more academic texts seem dry and lifeless. I am in a quandary. It is like the needle in my internal compass is broken. I felt I was on a path that was right for me, I was finding inspiration and resonance in the Vedas, but I just haven't had any inclination to read them the last few days. Perhaps I will re-investigate the Tao to Ching, or Buddhism, which seem mostly atheistic but afford some sort of spiritual depth to the practitioner. Perhaps I should bypass spirituality altogether for some time and immerse myself in the wonder of the natural world-of what science has and is discovering. For sure there is an infinite material available for doing that. But can that bring about a sense of fulfillment, of nourishment, that I am craving right now? I'm not sure. If it would at least distract me from this aching and hollow despair that is creeping in, it would prove helpful and no doubt illuminating as I would learn new things. But I still don't think it would fill this emptiness that I feel. I have to ask myself, why not? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Is it because my consciousness perceives my soul and knows there is something more to things, or is it because I am inherently biased, perhaps sentimentally attached, to the idea of there being transcendental realities and truths?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Should I embrace my apparent attachment to spirituality or attempt to understand why I have it and move beyond it? To embrace it right now seems impossible. For when I try to cling to one particular path and grow roots in it, like a tree on the side of a cliff my doubts, in the form of rain and wind, sweep my newly formed foundation away, uprooting me and causing me to fall. I keep trying to attach my roots once again but it proves a cyclical reaction, repeating itself over and over to no avail. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Will I ever feel conviction? Is that possible for someone so infected with skepticism? I seem to recoil inwardly from the side of me that presents itself as a skeptic, yet that side rises up and conquers anytime I feel like any sort of belief is settling in. It's as if I get caught up in skepticism's spiral...I'm not sure if it is leading me upwards or downwards. It's as if that part of my nature seeks to cleanse me from any ambiguities keeping me from seeing clearly...and yet I am seeing nothing at all right now but uncertainty. Thanks a lot skepticism, you have served me well, digging me a pathway to seemingly nowhere at all but a dark bottomless void. Is there hope to be found, meaning, peace, fulfillment, without a sense of conviction? If there is, I haven't found it yet. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">The one thing that I can say is that if this is all there is...If this is our one chance at a life and we no longer continue to exist in any autonomous way after our heart ceases to beat and we breathe our last, then for sure it makes this one life that we are living all that more precious and to be revered. That's the only positive thought that I can squeeze out of any sort of atheistic view of things.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">There is a series by Dawkins where he explores sex, ,the meaning of life, ,etc. from an atheistic perspective. In it, he gives an account of one man who went from being a believer to entering into an agnostic state, a stage of deep doubt and disbelief. Feeling such despair over what he was discovering he reverted back to religion. It was like the other side, the side of uncertainty, of doubt, of what really might be the truth, was too much for him and he went into a contemplative monastic order to live out his days in religious fervor. I found myself understanding why he would do that. Religion, belief in something, provides a salve for our aching soul that seems to break open and threatens to die without some kind of intervention-some kind of hope, some kind of dogma to bind it and allow it to be whole. But while binding our souls with such a poultice are we perhaps restricting the flow of truth to enter into our consciousness? Could injecting religion to satisfy our hunger and our desperate thirst for answers more be likened to administering a tourniquet on a damaged limb ,cutting off the blood supply, allowing the tissues and that part of the body to eventually become lifeless? Perhaps clinging to religion or a spiritual path could potentially be a way of forever subverting oneself from experiencing and knowing some real truths that, if really taken in and digested, have the power to breathe life into one's spirit, so to speak, to allow one to see life in a new and enlivened way. <br /><br />I know I just wrote a lot about feeling despair and I do feel a sense of that today as I contemplate the direction I am heading spiritually. I don't want to sound too negative though for running concurrently alongside such despair is an underlying sense of hope. I know that any truth worth comprehending requires critical thinking and discernment and that sometimes we have to cross the desert to come to the oasis. <br /><b><br />Thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Please leave them in the comments section! Thank you!</b></span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-74434087329143473462013-04-26T13:03:00.000-07:002013-04-27T06:04:07.378-07:00Afternoon Reflections: A Poem<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dLEGrK64-Xw/UXrbN2aovyI/AAAAAAAABJg/KKY1PXkaB98/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dLEGrK64-Xw/UXrbN2aovyI/AAAAAAAABJg/KKY1PXkaB98/s320/013.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">While I waited on our front step this afternoon for my son to come home from school I felt like I needed to get some thoughts and reflections out and onto paper. Feeling the breeze mingled with the warm rays of sun playfully pass through my hair, I began to scribble this short poem. I wrote it in a matter of a few minutes and really haven't edited it yet. Like most of my poems, though, I feel if I don't share it now it probably will be one, among many, that ends up tucked away in the confines of some obscure book or folder whose words will most likely never be read again. So, instead, I will share it here in hopes that some of you might enjoy it and perhaps even relate to some parts of it. <br /><br /><br /><u>untitled</u><br /><br />They are a funny thing, you know<br />The mind and the heart and the supposed soul.<br />They all seek a prominent role in our existence;<br />Continually clamoring for attention with great persistence.<br />It seems the one I choose to allow on stage<br />Is the one who directs my course,<br />While the others revolt in rage.<br />Is a peaceful co-existence possible at all?<br />Or will it always be that when one rises<br />The others will fall?<br />The only time they cease their droning,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">their lamenting for satisfaction,<br />Their perpetual moaning,<br />Is when I allow my senses to take in all that is;<br />When my consciousness stands erect <br />On this moment's narrow precipice.<br />Then I am simply what I am, right there and right then<br />And all that is, just simply is that,<br />And my steady breath is a steady friend.<br />Ahh peace, take it where you can have it,<br />For if you don't, the world will try to grab it. <br />And truth, is as elusive and shifting as Wind's lilting song<br />Perhaps we've always had it in us all along. <br />Is it that we continue to surrender unknowingly<br />That very thing we seek so unceasingly? </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br />Thoughts? I'd love to hear them in the comments section. Thank you!</span></span></b>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-59626530889746054382013-04-26T07:56:00.000-07:002013-04-26T07:56:06.403-07:00This Moment: A Friday Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><u><i>This Moment</i></u></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">"A single photo – no words – capturing a simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfGK9teKaoc/UXqVInmOIoI/AAAAAAAABJQ/XvUdDOd59Oc/s1600/bee.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dfGK9teKaoc/UXqVInmOIoI/AAAAAAAABJQ/XvUdDOd59Oc/s400/bee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-56380284026922327532013-04-13T14:58:00.000-07:002013-04-14T04:42:25.931-07:00The Unsettling Nature of Uncertainty <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ElRvgSBo7SY/UWnOwobbsKI/AAAAAAAABGo/lDbYxN6D6jU/s1600/treelookingup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ElRvgSBo7SY/UWnOwobbsKI/AAAAAAAABGo/lDbYxN6D6jU/s320/treelookingup.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I'm
currently reading Huston Smith's book,<i> Why Religion Matters</i>. I'm not
quite sure what I expect to get out of it but I have to say that as of
right now I'm finding it disappointing. It seems Smith's biggest
argument for why religion really matters<span style="font-size: small;"> thus far</span>, and I am still
relatively early on in the book, is not necessarily because it's true
but that it provides a panacea for the masses. It provides hope and
inspiration, a sense of community, those sorts of things. One could
easily respond to that argument by asking a question of their own. If
religion matters because of only those <span style="font-size: small;">benefits</span> what happens when an individual can find them<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>via other avenues? If our personal longing for hope and
meaning can be found without God or the sense of anything transcendental
or spiritual to inspire us, doesn't that then render religion and
spirituality irrelevant?<br /><br />I suppose I shouldn't be too disappointed
though. It's not as if the book was titled, "Why Religions are True" or
"Why Religions are Real". <br /><br /> Religion claims the heart, science
appeals to the intellect. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>B</span>ut is there a way, I wonder, how a purely scientific
perspective can not only help satiate the intellect's hunger for answers
but also appeal to the heart's longing for meaning? All of the <span style="font-size: small;">world's re<span style="font-size: small;">ligions would undoubtedly answer with a resounding no. The Gita, especially, asserts that hope and <span style="font-size: small;">meaning can only be found in the eternal, not the impermanent, and the scientific worldview only addresses the material world<span style="font-size: small;"> which is by default</span> impermanent. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Smith asserts that <span style="font-size: small;">science</span> can provide meaning more easily for the actual scientist, but not for the
ordinary person<span style="font-size: small;">.</span> The reason being is that the scientist is actively
involved in discovering the natural world as well as creating and
innovating. The rest of us just bear witness to what is discovered and
what is created, and there is a fundamental difference between the two
experiences. Smith writes: </span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"...the
creativeness of their vocation probably makes it easier for
scientists than for most other people to create meaningful lives for
themselves....[there is a] difference in fulfillment that comes from
inventing the Polaroid camera, on the one hand, and buying one, on the
other." p. 39</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />Smith quotes Ursala Goodenough in her book <i>The Sacred Depths of Nature</i>,
when she discussed how her nature has "no Creator, no superordinate
meaning of meaning, no purpose other than life's continuance. But
regardless of that it still filled her with feelings of "awe and
reverence". <br /><br />He responds to this realization she made in her book by writing the following: </span></span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"We
can be glad that it does, but how much comfort can we draw from that
fact when the awe nature awakens in human beings is, like all emotions,
no more than a Post-it note, so to speak, affixed to a nature that is
unaware of being thus bedecked. Reverence and awe are human sentiments
that extend no deeper into nature than human consciousness extends, and
in a universe fifteen billion light-years across...To speak of nature's
depths as sacred in themselves, without human beings imputing sanctity
to those depths, is to be guilty of the anthropomorphic thinking that
John Ruskin dubbed "the pathetic fallacy"-the fallacy of imputing
feeling where there is none. <br /><br />Goodenough's "sacredness" is in her
eye, the eye of the beholder, and in the eyes of those who share her
sensibilities. What is the depths of nature-its deep structure on which
human sentience bobs like a rose petal on the sea-is insentient,
quantifiable matter." p. 38-39</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
words that immediately caught my attention in the above passage were, "but how much comfort can we draw". Those words are like a red flag that
is instantly raised in my mind. Such an instinc<span style="font-size: small;">tual reaction</span> sometimes mak<span style="font-size: small;">es</span> me think that perhaps
I'll always revert to a state of skepti<span style="font-size: small;">c</span>ism in which I cannot ultimately
escape. Whenever I come across the idea of pursuing comfort when it
comes to areas of spirituality and considering reality as a whole it
makes me pause and <span style="font-size: small;">incredulously</span> ask myself, "are we looking for comfort,
or are we looking for truth"? I think comfort and truth very often do
run concurrently with one another but that that isn't always so. And if it
isn't always so then I suppose there comes a time when we have to make a
choice. To choose that path that seems steady and bright offering an
undercurrent of optimism and hope or a path that is much more uncertain
where you only see the entrance and whatever else awaits is unknown. <span style="font-size: small;">I</span>nstead of an undercurrent of hope and optimism this path sometimes
brings feelings of foreboding and uncertainty. <br /><br />Personally, I
find uncertainty unsettling and I think most people do. I feel like the
uncertainty that creeps into my consciousness, whispering nagging
questions that I cannot yet answer and producing doubts in areas where I
finally thought I had found some conclusions, pollutes and threatens my
sense of spirituality. As a defense mechanism there are times when I
try to ignore these questions and thoughts that arise<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">and</span></span> loom over
the castle of sand I have neatly erected by the shore, threatening to
sweep it away. If only I had a stronger foundation like so many others
seem to have. Those individuals I have met that are firm and convicted
in their spiritual orientations. What is my problem? Am I just ultimately a
hopeless skeptic? <br /><br />I have found<span style="font-size: small;"> </span> meaning in the writings of the
Gita and Upanishads as well as other Vedic liter<span style="font-size: small;">ature and have ex<span style="font-size: small;">p<span style="font-size: small;">erie</span>nced great</span> </span>spiritual satisfaction in reading them. I consider them inspired sources in which I can draw
both tangible transcendental truths from regarding spiritual realities as
well as practical truths regarding our existence in this material world.
But then there are times<span style="font-size: small;"> when something inside me seems to force me to</span> step back,<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> right </span>when</span></span> it seems I am <span style="font-size: small;">almost</span> ready to find myself in a spiritual state of conviction<span style="font-size: small;">, </span> and wonder,"<span style="font-size: small;">Ho</span>w can any of us really know what is real?" I enter a place
of uncertainty that threatens to knock me off my spiritual foundation. <br /><br /> I feel like such uncertainty is like entering a bottomless abyss. It is as if the human heart longs for something tangible to cling to, but it is in the letting go that it enters into genuine inquiry. This reminds me of the passage from Alan Watts' book, <i>The Wisdom of Insecurity</i>:</span></span></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">The
believer will open his mind to the truth on condition that it fits in
with his preconceived ideas and wishes. Faith, on the other hand, is an
unreserved opening of the mind to the truth, whatever it may turn out to
be. Faith has no preconceptions; it is a plunge into the unknown.
Belief clings, but faith lets go. In this sense of the word, faith is
the essential virtue of science and likewise of any religion that is not
self-deception. p. 24</span></span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><br /></span>It seems like, no matter how hard I try, a battle is
continually being wage<span style="font-size: small;">d</span> between my heart and<span style="font-size: small;"> intellect</span> deep within my
subconscious. Sometimes one side seems to have claimed victory but then,
like a phoenix, the other side rises out from seemingly nowhere and makes an
appearance, casting its dark shadow on the battleground once again.
No...the war isn't over...not yet!<br /><br />But does any of this really have to do with the question of whether or not religion matters? I guess I do get side-tracked sometimes<span style="font-size: small;">;</span>continually concerning myself with whether or not I can feel or "know" with a shadow of a doubt if things are factually true which can sometimes be irrelevant as to whether or not they really matter. <span style="font-size: small;">I do believe religion <span style="font-size: small;">and spirituality do have <span style="font-size: small;">their</span> purpose and <span style="font-size: small;">play an</span> important role in many people's lives.<span style="font-size: small;"> Radhanath Swami<span style="font-size: small;">, in a lecture you can view <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygQ-n50bZbI">here</a><span style="font-size: small;">, describes just <span style="font-size: small;">how important of a role religion can <span style="font-size: small;">have in pe<span style="font-size: small;">ople's lives:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 115%;">"In a very broad sense it is to transform our consciousness from
arrogance to humility. From vengeance to forgiveness. From </span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">greed to generosity. And most of
all, it is meant to connect us to the love within us so that we might be
instruments of compassion in everything we do. This is the universal principle
of religion. To absorb ourselves in the love of God and to be truly and
genuinely compassionate to all living things..."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">...A<span style="font-size: small;">nd thinking about it that way<span style="font-size: small;">, religion matters greatly.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br />Well, in <span style="font-size: small;">the beginning of this post were <span style="font-size: small;">some</span> preliminary reactions I had to <span style="font-size: small;">ideas</span> shared <span style="font-size: small;">early on </span>in Huston <span style="font-size: small;">Smith's <span style="font-size: small;"> book, <i>Why Religion Matters</i>. The rest of the post<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> consists of</span> my own </span><span style="font-size: small;"> personal re<span style="font-size: small;">flections that I wrote this morning in a sor<span style="font-size: small;">t of "stream of <span style="font-size: small;">consciousness" sor<span style="font-size: small;">t of way</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"> <span style="font-size: small;">towards those <span style="font-size: small;">ideas</span>. <br /><br /><b><br />I'd love your thoughts! Please l<span style="font-size: small;">eave them in the comments section. Thank you!</span></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><br /></span></span></span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-86868958515017004302013-04-05T08:45:00.001-07:002013-04-05T08:45:27.085-07:00This Moment: A Friday Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><u><i>This Moment</i></u></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">"A single photo – no words – capturing a simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQkvesFjQ6U/UV7xGpj6kQI/AAAAAAAABFY/L9yPVw5MG_c/s1600/noahguitar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQkvesFjQ6U/UV7xGpj6kQI/AAAAAAAABFY/L9yPVw5MG_c/s400/noahguitar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-78110789149070660722013-03-08T11:55:00.003-08:002013-03-09T07:52:12.016-08:006 Word Memoir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://everydaygyaan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/6-WORD-MEMOIR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="6 WORD MEMOIR 6 Word Memoir" border="0" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9118" height="248" src="http://everydaygyaan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/6-WORD-MEMOIR.jpg" title="6 Word Memoir" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have been taking full advantage of all the hopping going around amongst my fellow bloggers! I haven't been writing much lately but have been investing more time in reading. Blogging can sometimes seem to eb and flow. So, it's nice to be inspired by blog hop's that catch my attention. It's a way of getting to know other bloggers and contributing new material. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This week's blog hop was inspired by my friend <a href="http://everydaygyaan.com/">Corinne</a>. Participants were to write a six word memoir. If you are unfamiliar with what a six word memoir is you can read about them <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Word_Memoirs">here</a>. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">This is my six word memoir.<br /><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"> <img class="uw xO" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ei4fyCQMkn0/UTo_QvO_qqI/AAAAAAAABBM/SwSvEi1yy54/s400/photo.jpg" /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /><br /><br />What would be yours? <br /><br /><br />If you think of one feel free to share it in the comments section!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Be sure to check out my friend Irene's post on March 9th by visiting her blog<a href="http://inadifferentplaceblog.wordpress.com/"> here</a>!</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-31059789366406236762013-03-02T07:24:00.001-08:002013-03-02T09:31:53.227-08:00100 Words on Saturday<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="100WordsOnSaturdayEverydayGyaan1 100 Words On Saturday 4" class="wp-image-8914 aligncenter" height="180" src="http://everydaygyaan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/100WordsOnSaturdayEverydayGyaan1.jpg" title="100 Words On Saturday 4" width="240" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br />I am participating with other bloggers today in, "100 Words on a Saturday", an event hosted by my friend <a href="http://everydaygyaan.com/2013/03/100-words-on-saturday-4/#sthash.WoXuuCqY.dpbs">Corinne</a>. The objective is to write 100 words based on a prompt. Today's prompt is "lasting memory/ies". </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br />I have many memories I would love to write about but I chose one that happened earlier this week when my son and I picked my daughter up from school for an afternoon walk in the woods. It has been very cold the last few weeks so it had been quite awhile since we last visited the trail. It was nice to see my daughter enjoy some fresh air after a long day inside at school. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Accompanied by my 100 words are pictures from that afternoon. I hope you enjoy! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span><b><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span></b><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br />Please feel free to share a lasing memory that you have in the comments section as well as any thoughts. Thank you! </span></span></b><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
watch my children's awkward gait as their feet find random places to tread,
trying hard not to slide on the uneven and slick surface of the trail. They scurry
up the hills to build tiny faerie houses. </span></i><br />
</span><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8puPGSuv9o8/UTIQQwooLDI/AAAAAAAAA3o/LhxraNTN8q8/s1600/noahfaeriehouse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8puPGSuv9o8/UTIQQwooLDI/AAAAAAAAA3o/LhxraNTN8q8/s320/noahfaeriehouse.jpg" width="253" /></a><br /><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"> <br /> </span></span></i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">We stop to see the animals on the farm that rests peacefully beside the trail.
They playfully toss snowballs at one another. A peculiar sight no doubt for the
animals <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>looking on.</span></span></i><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Novn8iJiQf0/UTIQi5dPmhI/AAAAAAAAA3s/utEqmODY8Hc/s1600/snowballfight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Novn8iJiQf0/UTIQi5dPmhI/AAAAAAAAA3s/utEqmODY8Hc/s320/snowballfight.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />
<i><span style="color: #134f5c;"> </span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">Beauty shimmers everywhere. </span></i><br /><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-txbXjzmKKAY/UTIQvip_QOI/AAAAAAAAA30/ZTDEzD6AyfA/s1600/streamdusk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-txbXjzmKKAY/UTIQvip_QOI/AAAAAAAAA30/ZTDEzD6AyfA/s320/streamdusk.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /> </span></span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">We find leaves, stripped of color, translucent relics of last year’s glory.</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pysJwScdjfI/UTIQ3ygxhtI/AAAAAAAAA38/OoSggZUo_Jo/s1600/newleaf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"></span><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pysJwScdjfI/UTIQ3ygxhtI/AAAAAAAAA38/OoSggZUo_Jo/s320/newleaf.jpg" width="257" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
<br /> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">When we reach the gravel parking lot we catch glimpses of heaven in muddy
puddles. </span></i></span><br /><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548QDiAuVv4/UTIRFrPFozI/AAAAAAAAA4E/uf_dr_iieW0/s1600/puddlereflection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548QDiAuVv4/UTIRFrPFozI/AAAAAAAAA4E/uf_dr_iieW0/s320/puddlereflection.jpg" width="320" /><br /></a></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548QDiAuVv4/UTIRFrPFozI/AAAAAAAAA4E/uf_dr_iieW0/s1600/puddlereflection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span></b><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span></b><span style="color: #134f5c;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548QDiAuVv4/UTIRFrPFozI/AAAAAAAAA4E/uf_dr_iieW0/s1600/puddlereflection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span></a>
</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Please feel free to share a lasing memory that you have in the comments section as well as any thoughts. Thank you! </span></span></b><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548QDiAuVv4/UTIRFrPFozI/AAAAAAAAA4E/uf_dr_iieW0/s1600/puddlereflection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span></a>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-548QDiAuVv4/UTIRFrPFozI/AAAAAAAAA4E/uf_dr_iieW0/s1600/puddlereflection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span></a>
</span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-3136407239096787202013-02-08T06:51:00.000-08:002013-02-08T06:51:09.574-08:00This Moment: A Friday Tradition<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><u><i>This Moment</i></u></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">"A single photo – no words – capturing a simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."<br /><br />(Okay I cheated...I couldn't decide which picture to use so I used both!) </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_W5MD9HEoU/URUO-2BOWGI/AAAAAAAAAuk/NLMm1EjJYPg/s1600/NoahprayingLabyrinth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_W5MD9HEoU/URUO-2BOWGI/AAAAAAAAAuk/NLMm1EjJYPg/s400/NoahprayingLabyrinth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_W5MD9HEoU/URUO-2BOWGI/AAAAAAAAAuk/NLMm1EjJYPg/s1600/NoahprayingLabyrinth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_W5MD9HEoU/URUO-2BOWGI/AAAAAAAAAuk/NLMm1EjJYPg/s1600/NoahprayingLabyrinth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Md4cYZLGb28/URUPXqqhluI/AAAAAAAAAus/me6FXa8UHWs/s1600/Noahpraying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Md4cYZLGb28/URUPXqqhluI/AAAAAAAAAus/me6FXa8UHWs/s640/Noahpraying.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-1830752019061876122013-01-31T08:13:00.000-08:002013-01-31T08:13:31.375-08:00The Little Things That Make Me Smile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kZx2UNpuhLs/UQqTRSX65cI/AAAAAAAAAtk/Un42c_psYPM/s1600/NOahwonder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kZx2UNpuhLs/UQqTRSX65cI/AAAAAAAAAtk/Un42c_psYPM/s400/NOahwonder.jpg" width="300" /><br /><br /><br /><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">After reading my friend Corinne's <a href="http://everydaygyaan.com/2013/01/the-little-things-that-make-me-smile/">post</a> and then my friend Suzy's<a href="http://suzysomedaysomewhere.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/ubc-30-little-things-that-make-me-smile.html"> post</a> this morning,
on what little things make them smile, I thought I'd share my own list
here. I couldn't help but be refreshed and encouraged on the positivity
that is felt when one reflects on the small things that bring joy into
our most seemingly mundane moments. <br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kZx2UNpuhLs/UQqTRSX65cI/AAAAAAAAAtk/Un42c_psYPM/s1600/NOahwonder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">What makes me smile?<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">My children enthusiastically turning off the t.v, preferring time playing games with me over their favorite shows.<br /><br /><br />My dog's gaze of affection as she wags her tail while I get her ready for a hike at the river.<br /><br /><br /><br />Watching the sun rise as I chant God's names on my japa mala. <br /><br /><br />Reading a poem or post that relates so well to my own experiences. Ahh..someone who understands!<br /><br /><br />Witnessing my children's sense of wonder come alive while we are out in nature.</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">What little things make you smile? Please share in the comments section. Thank you!</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-75786034865092034882013-01-25T05:30:00.001-08:002013-01-25T05:30:42.430-08:00This Moment: A Friday Tradition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><u><i>This Moment</i></u></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">"A single photo – no words – capturing a simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AiDpy9XN-wg/UQKFKqCp3yI/AAAAAAAAAlg/UktrUFwVFwU/s1600/dusk.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AiDpy9XN-wg/UQKFKqCp3yI/AAAAAAAAAlg/UktrUFwVFwU/s400/dusk.bmp" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span>Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583035984896584839.post-57383408748487263502013-01-20T07:57:00.002-08:002013-01-20T11:49:28.304-08:00Entering the Stream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9CcUMNwlVkI/UPwQObwj-fI/AAAAAAAAAYw/54A90ZSimAE/s1600/Entering+Stream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9CcUMNwlVkI/UPwQObwj-fI/AAAAAAAAAYw/54A90ZSimAE/s320/Entering+Stream.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I read my friend Corinne's<a href="http://everydaygyaan.com/2013/01/writing-and-living-free"> post</a> this morning and she started off by saying that she was choosing to simply write freely for that day's post on her blog. To simply just write what came to her mind. I thought of how it is quite a liberating process to write in a stream-of- consciousness style, though sometimes what comes out oftentimes I choose to keep "in" for one reason or another. <br /><br />Unless some spontaneous poem rises up in my consciousness, like yesterday's post, I usually take some time in developing a post. Sometimes the idea might come easily enough but it is usually my desire to find references, quotes and passages, to help support some of my thoughts and conclusions. This takes some time and more than naught I eventually am led to abandon my pursuits to the more mundane things of life that tend to get in the way. After all, there are dishes to wash, floors to clean, skirmishes between my children to help break up and reconcile. Very often almost as soon as I get my books out, turn on my music, and begin to write, the door bursts open with one of my offspring either expressing some joy about a discovery needing to be shared or some angst over a conflict that needs my intervention to be resolved. <br /><br />But this morning, as I write sitting in my bed with my lap top before me, my husband snoring beside me, my children are playing quietly in the other room. I know every minute counts, so I will just write and see what happens. I suppose I will share some of my morning with everyone. I don't write a lot about my personal life beyond my ideas regarding philosophic and religious ideas, so this will be a bit of a change of pace. A glimpse inside our tiny house on a Sunday morning in small New England town. <br /><br />The day began quite nice as my son crept into our bed very early in the morning as he has gotten into the habit of doing. I don't mind that much except it has broken up my morning routine of meditation and chanting, which I need to resolve somehow. But other than that, I enjoy his warm and tiny body curling itself up beside me. I love laying next to him, breathing in his sweetness. We co-slept with our daughter until she was the age he is now. He is much more independent than she was at this age as he has been sleeping in his own room for nearly a year now. So, I drink in these moments, the precious nectar they offer, until he starts squirming too much. At that point I know he will no longer fall asleep and just cause my husband to grumble as he is continually woken up by little feet and knees against his back turned towards us. <br /><br />So, we rise. Oftentimes, we take to the "blue chair", my favorite perching place in our living room. It is an over-sized chair that my husband and I have had since we got married nine years ago. If we had more money it probably would have been replaced by now as it is particularly worn down. In fact, one has to be very careful getting in and out of it as it tends to wobble precariously at times as the frame that forms the base of it has seen better days and is unstable. But I like it nonetheless because I can either recline it and sit with my legs extended comfortably if I wish or sit criss-cross which I prefer to as I read or chant. It's almost like sitting on the ground because it is firm and the seat spacious, yet I am high enough so our loving border collie won't lick my face in moments where I seek contemplation.<br /><br />This morning was a little different than other usual mornings as when we entered the living room I realized it was still pretty early and my daughter, who tends to sleep considerably later than my son, probably wouldn't be up for another hour. My son had wanted to watch a Superman episode yesterday but my daughter, being very sensitive to its content (she gets frightened of the fighting), started protesting loudly to him viewing it with tears and arguments. He finally agreed to watch it at another time. I was very grateful that he made that choice and proud that he put his sister's concerns before his own desires. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity and turned it on for him thinking that it would end before she came down the stairs, sleepy-eyed, looking for hugs and her Sunday morning mug of hot cocoa. <br /><br />Of course fate had other plans, as right when we turned on the episode my daughter's footsteps could be heard descending the staircase. My heart sank as I knew it would be a lot to ask my son to stop his show because he had to already had to stop it yesterday. I anticipated conflict so asked Montana if she wanted to sit and eat breakfast with me at the table while Noah finished watching his show. She could draw, and instead of sitting on my blue chair that was truly beckoning me at that moment, I would read at the table. She agreed. <br /><br />It turned out to be a time that yielded fruitful conversation, even though, at first I have to confess I felt a little resentful. I am one that is very much for routines and I was hoping it to be like every other Sunday morning. But instead, my daughter gayfully took out her art supplies and I began reading a translation of the 10th Canto that I have been going through.<br /><br /> I decided to see if Montana would be open to the idea of me reading out loud. She had no objections and so I proceeded to read a story of how a demon, under the charge of Lord Shiva, who had ten thousand arms grew too haughty and proud. Ego inflated to nearly bursting, he thought he could battle anyone and win so decided to go up against Krishna. I explained to Montana that Krishna is another name for God and that in this story Krishna had taken human form. The story brought up Narada and I told her that he was Krishna's earthly father, comparing him a little to Joseph who wasn't Jesus' biological father but served as his father on earth. I asked her if she thought it was a good idea to fight against God like this demon was attempting to do and she agreed that that was undoubtedly a very foolish pursuit. <br /><br />Krishna cut off most of the demon's arms in the battle that had ensued. With four left, Lord Shiva intervened asking for mercy for the demon who would surely see his demise if Krishna did not cease his assault. Seeing the demon humbled, Krishna agreed. In these stories of Krishna's past times I have to say that they present God as being very reasonable in granting mercy to others. We talked about some of the lessons that could be learned from such a story. I love how deep Montana thinks. She asked if they were real. I remembered a Buddhist teacher's lecture I listened to not very long ago on parenting, one in which I agreed with very much that expressed the need to not impose our ideas and beliefs on our children but to help them develop the inner tools to search for the truth on their own and develop their own ideas. Personally, I am still working out my own personal philosophy so sometimes when my children ask me a question I answer it in a very neutral way anyways. I answered that, just with the many stories in the Bible, many people believe them to be literal and true to every detail given, while others believe them to be stories that were inspired to teach us important lessons about our own true natures and of God's. <br /><br />She then asked me about the story of Noah's ark, if that were real or just a story. <br /><br />Up until a little over a year ago she had been attending church regularly nearly all of her life. I had been a Sunday school teacher with her in my class for years instructing her and her peers that the stories in the Bible were literal. Well, this morning I took a little bit of a different approach as I answered that I thought it was quite possible that there had been a flood, a really big one, so big that maybe the writers perceived it as engulfing the whole world. She then asked me who the writers were, Noah, one of his family members? To be accurate it would have had to have been someone who was there. If it wasn't Noah or any family members then other people must have survived and the story wasn't exactly true because it said just Noah and his family members lived through it. And how did the world go on after that if just his family members survived? Did that mean brothers and sisters or cousins had to marry one another. Wouldn't that be "gross"?<br /><br /> Hmmm..what to say to that! Well, seeing that her own conclusions were very speculative towards the literal take on the story, I just finally conceded that it was most likely a story told to convey an important message to those that read it. That there were similar stories to the Flood story that is found in the Bible found in other cultures throughout the world. That the message it conveys is a universal one, as God Himself, is universal.<br /><br />I have to say that lately I've had no conflict teaching my children that there is only one God and that He is perceived and worshiped differently throughout the world. I am really glad that I have abandoned teaching them that there is only one way to salvation. I believe that creates a destructive "us v. them" mentality. A "saved v. the damned" way of thinking. I realize that by teaching them of my belief that God manifests Himself differently to different people contradicts my stance of not teaching my children "my beliefs". I feel, however, that that is a neutral enough platform in which they can set off to investigate their own inquiries and that some kind of foundation is needed for stability. My children think of God as being personal and, though sometimes I go back and forth in the way I perceive God and the nature of reality, I always talk to my children of God as being personal as to not confuse them.<br /><br />Well, this post is probably more than long enough. See what happens when I choose to "write freely"? I could probably write all day! <br /><b><br />Would love some thoughts in the comments section. Thank you!</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jessica Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02450820269367184046noreply@blogger.com31