“How long should an engagement last?”

Ask me a question, and I will answer accordingly. In social media, Aleteia started its post by raising this question: “How long should an engagement last?” It sounds rhetoric to me. I am more interested in the question rather than … Continue reading →

On Friendship

Pleasant speech multiplies friends, and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies. Let those who are friendly with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand. When you gain friends, gain them through testing, and do not trust … Continue reading →

Reflection on one candle at a time

I keep my eyes and thoughts focus on one candle at a time reflecting the subtle meaning of each as it’s was being lit for the past four weeks. To make meaning out of them, I needed to know what … Continue reading →

Here at least, I can be myself.

 

I’d rather take my time and eat a watermelon

I was walking on the gardens of an insane asylum when I met a young man reading a philosophy book.

I’d rather do spontaneous activities

For his manners and the health he portrayed, he didn’t quite match with the patients there. I sat beside him and asked: “What are you doing here?” He looked at me surprised. But as he saw that I wasn’t one of the doctors, he answered: “That’s very simple. My father, a brilliant lawyer, wanted me to be like him.

I’d rather be with my cat, Lucy

“My uncle, an owner of a large commercial warehouse, wanted me to follow his example. My mother wanted me to become the image of her beloved father. My sister always cited her husband as the example of a well-succeeded man. My brother tried to train me to become an excellent athlete like him.”

I’d rather be an adventurer rather than look for a sign

“And the same happened with my teachers at school, the piano teacher, the English tutor: all of them were convinced and resolute; they were the best examples to be followed. No one looked at me like someone should look to a man — but as if they looked into a mirror.”

Would you rather be you?

“That way, I decided to admit myself in this asylum. Here at least, I can be myself.”

With this tale, I’d Rather Be… ME.

Tale by Kahlil Gibran

What a day. Snow in Vancouver.

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    It hardly snows in Vancouver. Winter is not winter, without snow. Last night it snowed. Calvin:   Wow, it really snowed last night! Isn’t it wonderful? Hobbes: Everything familiar has disappeared! The world looks brand-new! Calvin:   A new year … … Continue reading →

Sing the song instead

If you can’t pray the rosary, maybe this song will help make you meditate on Mother Mary.

Chunks of Dense Matter

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I pray that each one of us stays awake as we fall. I pray that we choose to go into the abyss willingly and that our fall is cushioned by faith–faith that at the bottom we will be caught and … Continue reading →

SHINE!

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What can a man learn from sitting in a cell? Can a cell really teach a man everything? When the light shines on you, will you remain faithful living in your cell? Going into a tunnel with little lighting to … Continue reading →

White Space

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I spend many times staring into space as much as I can whenever I can. It’s an important activity that disconnects me from the busyness of work during coffee and lunch breaks. It is a luxury to be able to do this … Continue reading →

Going beyond the grain and flow

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Most of the time in life, we get caught up in a situation where everything is all about me. We relay our stories to others who are willing to listen, then others will say, what about me? Woe is me. … Continue reading →

Claims

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Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, “I am a teacher in search of the … Continue reading →

Face(d) with a dilemma

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I’ve never seen his face Nor anybody around this day But He touched me For this I traced every bone of his face Guided by my hands, heart and soul. Face of John the Baptist on a platter.

Future: the end or the beginning

Here lies the future. The future garden. For months, I assessed it and imagined how it would look like should there be a garden on this space. It was February 28, 2016, when I started digging on this space. I … Continue reading →

Deep question deserves deep answer

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How am I to approach the problem? Am I to take each problem one by one, to take fear, look at it, and then study love? How am I to capture the whole thing? I can’t capture the whole thing … Continue reading →

Build your secret slowly

If you want your dream to be, Build it slow and surely.  Small beginnings greater ends.  Heartfelt work grows purely.  If you want to live life free,  Take your time go slowly.  Do few things but do them well.  Simple … Continue reading →

Pick One

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“Knowing that my emotions are only partially in my control, I reflect on what emotions I want to have If I could choose only one, what would it be: joy? peace? loving-kindness? courage? gratitude? I pick one of these imagine … Continue reading →

As simple as this. That is all.

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Be silent. Be still. Alone. Empty Before your God. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Be silent. Be still. Let your God look upon you. That is all. God knows. God understands. God loves you With an enormous love, And only wants … Continue reading →

Philosopher Cat

Be one with the cats
Sleep eat play roll chase more sleep
What am I worrying

Learning to be at home

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And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at … Continue reading →

Mother’s Love

Photo taken from Fragrant Wood Gallery Window

A reminder of how much your Mother loves you.

A son wants to bring his Mother into the forest and leave her there to fend for herself because her Mother is terminally ill and he is too tired to take care of her.

Leading her through the thick of the forest, he noticed that his Mother breaks every branch that they passed by.

Curious, he ask his Mother why is she breaking the branches?

The Mother answered her son loving: “Son, I break the branches as a guide for you to follow so that you won’t get lost on the way out.”

Translated from Filipino story:

Isang paalala kung gaano kayo kamahal ng inyong ina..

May isang anak na gustong iligaw ang kanyang INA sa gubat dahil sa sakit nitong wala nang lunas at pagod na rin siyang mag-alaga dito, Ipinasan niya ang kanyang INA hanggang makarating sa kasuluksulukan ng Gubat, ngunit napansin niya na pinuputol ng kanyang INA ang bawat sanga ng Punong madaanan nila, tinanong nang Anak kung bakit niya ginagawa ito, sagot ng INA – ”Pinuputol ko ang sanga dahil ayaw kong maligaw ka sa pag uwi mo.

 

Worth Repeating

Photo of a painting from Fragrant Wood

A disciple confessed his bad habit of repeating gossip.
Said the Master wickedly, “Repeating it wouldn’t be so bad if you did not improve on it.”
~ Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL:
To attain Knowledge, add things every day.
To attain Wisdom,remove things every day.
~ Lao Tzu

Notes to file: September 11, 2014

“Imagine a world where everyone is blessed by the presence of everyone else. 

 Just imagine how beautiful such a world would be!”

In memory of 9/11

Need

“What we need is here.”
—Wendell Berry

Small Pleasures

Once upon a time in a country far away a boy lived …
very different from all the others his name was Eftichis.

 Everything ran smoothly in his life until one day …
… many many years ago …
… an incident made him …
… see life from a different perspective.

And then, a big secret was revealed
The solution to a riddle …
… that humans have been trying to solve …
… for centuries now.

He discovered the meaning of life

He now knows …
… that happiness is nothing more …
… than moments …
… small and invisible moments.

Like when someone covers you up at night
Dreaming …
Waking up to a sparrow’s song …
… on fresh-smelling clean sheets …
… next to someone you love …
Touching them …
… smelling them …

Feeling the warm water dropping on your face
Your house smelling …
… of freshly-baked cake
Holding a warm cup …
… when it’s cold outside.

Cutting a lemon from your tree
Feeling the fresh winter breeze …
… brushing your face.

Feeling light and empty of thoughts
In total calmness.
Under the water.

 To keep doing things you did when you were young
When everyone is running under their umbrellas …
… you are standing in the rain.

Walking barefoot on wet grass
Taking a balloon out for a walk
Believing in things that cannot be explained
That a ladybird is a good sign

To have no fear
Doing things that do not suit your age
Hearing the waves hit the shore
Feeling the earth under your feet
Thinking of nothing.

 Someone whispering a secret to you.
Watching the sunset …
… even when others know …
… that you can’t see it.

 Small Pleasures (Μικρές Χαρές) by Constantin Pilavios

Transformation: Sit and Wait

Sit and Wait

I said to my soul, be still, and let the dark come upon you
which shall be the darkness of God.
I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
for hope would be hope for the wrong thing;
there is yet faith.
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.
(T.S.Eliot – Four Quartets)

 

 

Source : The School of Meditation: Letter 12
Meditation is a universal spiritual wisdom. All traditions recognize the value of a contemplative practice and the need for the community that flows from it. The School of Meditation of The World Community for Christian Meditation supports this. To find out more about the World Community for Christian Meditation visit our main website www.wccm.org.

Perception

For Sirish BC of National Geographic.  I know nothing, nothing makes sense.

Source: Incidental Comics by Grant Snider

 

Cycle of Life

“It is important to expect nothing
to take every experience
including the negative ones
as merely steps on the path
and to proceed.”

~Ram Dass

Seeing the unseen

Always end the Day with a Positive Thought, with faith and hope. No matter how hard things were, Tomorrow’s a Fresh Opportunity to make it Better. Good night and sweet dreams.

January 5, 2013 Notes to file: On Giving

January 5, 2013 Notes to file:  Not much to do on a rainy Saturday day especially when I am nursing my colds.  I came across with this article from The Globe and Mail about giving: how many Canadians give and other trends … Continue reading →