PL Church

Good morning everyone. Tuesday, Dec. 5, and it is a mild day with rain. I heard that the mild weather will stick around for a couple more days. Somewhere I saw a big sun in one of the forecasts showing on most of the days of this week.
To me, our church here in Ottawa is beautiful. Clean lines, no clutter, you could be walking into a clinic, it seems so bare compared to the buildings I am entering especially at this time of year. As I walked towards the front of the church to pray, I caught a glimpse of colour. I paused to looked over.. WOW simplicity making a statement. Whether it was just the time of day, sun streaming in from the large windows but the play of light and shadows was such, that I rushed to get my phone.
A minister’s wife is someone in the PL ministry that supports and works with the minister at maintaining and providing a “home” for its members. This current minister’s wife is very quiet, speaks little English and never misses the opportunity to give you a warm welcome when she sees you. She is also creative and talented, there are little touches everywhere that turn up like the arrangement above, when you least expect it to. These little offerings are not only “a breath of fresh air” they brighten a day, and for this we really appreciate her silent gifts.
Her understanding of how to help a worn out or troubled “soul” whether with a cup of coffee, in my case, unlike everyone I only drink iced coffee, black. Yet, like magic a cold glass of ice with coffee will appear where I am working/sitting. It is humbling to experience such generosity of SELF. Over the time I have known her, I appreciate her goodness more and more. Could I be so selfless, so caring, to live every day for the good of others, in a country where the language is so different, never mind customs and cultural differences.
She makes me realize what I know, but don’t always practice, that “actions speak louder than words” In PL, it is said.. “Church is a spiritual home away from home” and a “place to find your Inner-Self”. I was at the church to pray and to ask for help in the coming days. I came away with such a wonderful feeling of “happiness” yes the praying was good, but the flowers touched me.. the knowing and recognition of what a blessing she is…Today is about saying thank you to a beautiful lady.

Without saying a word, this arrangement, spoke volumes.
Oyashikiri
PL Precept # 21 Live ink Perfect Liberty











Being a Taoist, for me landscaping was all about bringing nature to my property so that it would as closely resemble natural growth, Susan shared that passion, when I bought a home with a double lot, she said, I’m going to get more land too. She moved to a place where she had the kind of lot that she could build on. We were off to the races, every week-end we toured miles of countryside looking for landscaping places that would offer us plants that were not the standard backyard fare.
When I remarried in the late 90’s, we didn’t get to spend the time together that we did before, but anytime we did meet up, we picked up just where we left off. That was the kind of relationship we had. The bond we had created when we were younger, held like glue. The years passed, friends in our lives changed, but still, we knew each other like one hand knows the other.
She is gone now, at least the human form is no longer here. But her presence, the secrets we shared, the long evenings of simply “being” in the same space, discovering our “selves”.. that will always be.








Magical
