Ruby's Angel

Eleven years ago on November 2 my mom made her final transformation.  Her garden angel came home with me and she has been welcoming family and friends ever since.  She is an old friend and I love her dearly.  Each time I walk by her as I leave or enter our house I feel that my mom is watching over us.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I hope that each of you have food, family and friends to share your day, I hope that at some point you whisper a prayer of gratitude and that you are filled with kindness and peace.    Happy Thanksgiving!

An 8th Century Prayer

“May all beings everywhere

Plagued by sufferings of body and mind
Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy
By virtue of my merits.

May no living creature suffer,
Commit evil, or ever fall ill.
May no one be afraid or belittled,
With a mind weighed down by depression.

May the blind see forms
And the deaf hear sounds,
May those whose bodies are worn with toil
Be restored on finding repose.

May the naked find clothing,
The hungry find food;
May the thirsty find water
And delicious drinks.

May the poor find wealth,
Those weak with sorrow find joy;
May the forlorn find hope,
Constant happiness, and prosperity.

May there be timely rains
And bountiful harvests;
May all medicines be effective
And wholesome prayers bear fruit.

May all who are sick and ill
Quickly be freed from their ailments.
Whatever diseases there are in the world,
May they never occur again.

May the frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be freed;
May the powerless find power,
And may people think of benefiting each other.

For as long as space remains,
For as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then may I too remain
To dispel the miseries of the world.”

Monkey Chatter

Even as a meditation teacher I have trouble with monkey chatter in  my brain.  As most of my friends and family know, I live with a day planner.  I live a busy life and the only way to keep my sanity is my trusty calendar.  Every morning I sit down and figure out "what matters most" and go from there.
Yesterday we had Thanksgiving lunch with my sister and her family, I planted my pansies and washed my yoga blankets for work, all on the calendar.  I didn't check it again after the once over that morning.

So here is where the monkey chatter had a hay day.   This morning at 1:30 I awoke bright eyed with the knowledge that I had forgotten to pick up our turkey at the grocer's yesterday.  The monkey was cutting me no slack.  I did every relaxation technique known to man, nothing.  Sleep had left the building and then, I just had to laugh.  At 2:00 am it dawned on me, no grocer was open and I had three days to pick up the turkey.  The monkey shut up and I went back to sleep.

A good laugh made it all better.   A good laugh usually makes everything better.  A good laugh at one's self is the best laugh of all.
Good night, Sweet dreams

Jordan's House

We decided to take a late afternoon walk without the dogs today.  We decided to stroll by our great-nephew Jordan's house for a surprise visit.  We were the ones who were surprised.  Jordan had talked his mom and granddad into some early Christmas decorations.  He was thrilled when we rang the doorbell.    Here I was thinking about making it through Thanksgiving and Jordan has a double dose of Christmas spirit.  He always makes me smile.

Living Forest

Today was the day, all the potted plants and trees  had to be brought into the house.  We have a freeze warning tonight, so it had to be done.   We started with the BIG citrus trees which touch our 16 foot ceilings. We repotted, nourished and pruned those babies first.  Then we moved on to the smaller bleeding heart and all the rest.  This job has taken about 6-7 hours today, plus we washed windows as well.  We are windburned and tired.  But it is nice and cozy living in a forest with the fireplace keeping us warm and toasty.

In years past creatures have come in on the plants.  One year, we had a chipmunk and we have had several lizards and such find their way in as well.  The next few days could be interesting.

My body aches, and I think this might be my earliest bed time since I was six.
Wishing you all a Sunday filled with peace.

A Really Good Day

Our niece Samantha took us to lunch today.  We had such a good time, our waiter thought she was our daughter...we didn't tell him any different.   :)

Tonight, we saw our friends Keith and Roberta.  We were in their wedding, Rick actually did the photographs.  They live in Florida now,  so our visits are few and far between, but always fun.

It has been a really good day.  I love this

picture of Sam and me.

What Might Have Been

There are fleeting snippets of fall around.  Most of the trees have just turned various shades of dried brown, but when you least expect it, you see a glimpse of what fall might have been.
That happened as I walked the dogs yesterday.   One tiny area of woods decked in fall's glory, just enough to take my breath and remind me, there is always beauty.