Today is a special time for those who are celebrating the start of a new year. We have so much to be thankful for .. it is time to give thanks to our ancestors and to our parents, all the special people in our lives who make our personal lives complete.
We exist today thanks to our ancestors and parents. Express appreciation by devoting yourself for the sake of others and society.
Perfect Liberty 2015.11
Applaud the Makoto of others. when you encounter good faith or kindness in others, make sure that you acknowledge it fully. This will make both you and them happy. (Makoto: One’s utmost sincerity)
Perfect Liberty 2016.23
No one can take away the joy you get from putting your whole heart into something. The joy you feel when you’ve put your all into something is yours and yours alone. Nobody can take that away from you.
Good Morning everyone.. I have a thought I’d like to share with you, I am open to your input. For years now I have been doing special prayers. Seldom does a day go by where I don’t meet up with someone, and/or get asked to pray for someone who is going through, or having a difficult time with .. whatever… Certainly in these times of multiple tragedies, whether due to climate change, or day to day circumstances, there is a need for prayer.
In PL, we, as members are encouraged to pray everyday, and yes there are days, set aside for special ceremonies and prayers that are led officially by a minister or Hokyoshi. Through this site, I often will get a personal request for spiritual help, for someone who just needs a “helping hand” I have taken to doing silent prayers for individuals at a time I set aside, just for the purpose of doing what I call a power prayer.. Would anyone out there be willing to add their voice to this power prayer? It is simply a matter or putting aside a few minutes a day, to pray for those who have asked for help, who need a special prayer in their lives. It is the act of dedication, the sincerity of the request that is important.
Do you think it would interest you? It would take only a few minutes of your time… but it would be a time that would be of great service to others. Thank you for considering this request for input. There is a by-product, you get to spend a minute on yourself too =^_^=
Improve yourself to have a kinder heart. Do what you can to be caring and considerate to make others happy.
these past months have been full of discoveries, every day is a new beginning.all summer long I’ve missed the crows that gathered in the winter at the parking lot where I get my ice coffee
This past summer a friend and I visited a retreat where she would be doing a ceremony of celebration for one of her friends. There I saw the maze that was being rebuilt and at one end of it, was this statue of the Virgin Mary, I didn’t ask, but that is who I think it was. She had been there for a long time, still she looked so serene.
This summer I discovered that I love the smell of the wild flowers that grow along the overcrowded roadsides and pathways. And, most importantly I’ve discovered that there is a lot of me that I have yet to explore, understand and get to know.
It is easy to be safe, do what is familiar, frequent the same places, talk to the same people, it takes courage to step outside of what is “known” and to try something new. The following is the English of a “meditation” a friend sent me from Japan, remember is has been translated by a translator, you need to read it with that in mind.
Sunday, August 29, 2021 【There are pitfalls where you are good at】 When you do things that you don’t have much experience, you’re careful, so you don’t make many mistakes. But when you do something you’re good at with experience, you’ll be careless and fail where it’s easy. In any case, let’s live in tension.
I’ve read and reread it a few times now. I am taking that last sentence and reading.. Let’s live being open to new possibilities .. when we do something to be more aware of the situation and not take for granted we know what we will experience, let the moment happen, let the interaction be “pure”
Like yesterday, I got got caught in the rain.. had I really thought about it, the practical side of me would have reminded me I had a rain poncho in one of my pockets just for such occasions. Instead I reveled in the moment of the rain, its mesmerizing downpour, the feeling of how the wet seeped and clung to me. It was a first.. Of course we all know that within a short time I was cold and chilled. By the time I got home, I was looking for dry clothes and warmth. BUT I did live the moment. =^_^=
Will I ever learn, who knows. There are words of wisdom all around me, I am constantly encountering new experiences, as long as I draw breath, I will experience NOW, that is who I am. As one friend pointed out, I am blessed with many gifts. I looked up the definition in my Oxford…. I certainly was given a surprise gift yesterday! A lifetime of living, and surprise, there is still something else I’d missed and now.. … learning is never-ending. like change, it is another constant in life.
this was a pillow I saw in a local craft shop.
Do things joyfully instead of taking it easy. Enthusiastically engage with what’s in front of you. You’ll enjoy it more.
the rain was just starting tried to get an image of the falling rain on the water.. yeah right!
I have walked in the rain before, but this time I got soaked. REALLY soaked, I now know what it is like to be soaking wet. I was able to protect the camera with a doggie poop bag. but the rest of me even though I had a lite rain jacket on, hat and my hood over the hat.. got wet right through. I marvel at how wonderful it was, the sound of the rain falling hard at times, and then letting up, but not stopping… even where a tall tree would in the past have given some shade, there was no reprieve from the falling rain drops.
There was no going back I had already started on the boardwalk, (it is a 1 way) and if I am to be honest with myself, I wanted the experience, the young families I’d met on my way down to the walkway, would be safe and snug in their cars by now.. I basically had the place to myself. The rain was hard enough, there were no birds singing or chattering in the trees, and none of the small animals were scurrying looking for food. Everyone had taken cover. The two wild turkeys that I met earlier, that sauntered down the middle of the road, causing me to actually stop so that they could get ahead of me.. then just coast along behind them, were likely on their way home before the rain.. and they too were likely sheltered somewhere.
Only the human was out =^_^= strolling along the now very wet boardwalk. The wooden planks glistened with the water, the drops danced off the boards and rolled along to the edges or pooled in the small crevices and cracks.
No one can take away the joy you get from putting your whole heart into something. The joy you feel when you’ve put your all into something is yours and yours alone. Nobody can take that away from you.
Perfect Liberty 2020.29
Will there be consequences.. likely, I was cold by the time I got home and was able to get out of the wet clothes. Even a hot shower didn’t take the chills away. I did make myself a warm lunch, and now will go wrap myself in a warm fleece blanket. LOL when I removed all the items from the many pockets of my hiking gear, guess what I found.. a plastic poncho still in its brand new sealed bag.
I’ll leave you with a photo of my latest post card.
Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self actualization.
Bo Bennett
In PL we strive to live in the present, to be in the moment. When I arrived to find the thrasher had been by to clear the overgrown brush .. it was a bit of a shock at first. All the lush vegetation had been cut back, and most of it taken off to where-ever … I know it is important to maintain a balance, especially we have had such dry hot weather, lots of humidity and little rain. Still it was an adjustment. But.. in life, adjust we must.
Be careful about saying “It’s probably good enough” Wholeheartedly do what you notice, when and how you notice it.
Perfect Liberty 2021.29
The thrasher is ruthless, it begins its journey and removes and takes down anything that is in its path. What was, is no longer, it is pulled out by the roots, or simply shredded into pieces. Nature will regroup, simply pause to asses and then rebuild. It began to rain, halfway up the road, so I turned back, but not before I got some wonderful wood pieces for my “collection” There is always a positive, we cannot have one without the other.
What happens when a film crew arrive to film for a couple of days…
What happens, is I don’t get to walk, and the birds and the wee animals …they all take time to visit other places in the woods.
Strive to overcome obstacles by changing your mind-frame. things don’t always go as planned. When that happens, try changing how you look at the situation or how you are doing things. The outcome is in your hands.
Perfect Liberty 2020.17
it was HOT today, it was HOT yesterday, and lets not forget humid. time to visit and chill with a friend, catch up and just relax.
Its Okay to think “This is where it starts” There is always a turning point. It’s important what you do from now.
Perfect Liberty 2021.27
It actually worked out.. with the filming crew at the site, it gave me time to come back early and do work that needed doing here at the house. I did catch up with a friend, and we did get to work on a project that needed doing. We hadn’t planned it, but life just presented us with the right ingredients. And had my day not been rescheduled for me, I wouldn’t have had time to have a “coffee break” with another friend. There you go! life is good! Not at all what I had planned and expected, but worked out even better, because I got to share it with friends.
PL Precept # 19 – Begin once you perceive. Faca ao perceber, Actue inmediatamente al percibir.
Express your appreciation with enthusiasm. Appreciation is the driving force for progress and development.
Perfect Liberty 2021.21
Reminder there is a 7 pm ceremony this evening, 21st of the month at the church. Masks and social distancing is required. If you are planning on attending please let Sensei know of your intentions. For the rest of us, if you are able to please join us in prayer from home.
Viva en verdadera libertad. PL #21
till soon
Original abstract by Q – mixed media
NB. no service Sunday because of this evening’s ceremony.
Good Morning, of course there is another version, but I’m showing you three, having done so by rotating the canvas. Our problems, challenges in life are not on canvas, we can’t just turn them around and visually inspect what is before us, but believe me, they are as complex and full of surprises as a canvas is to an abstract artist.
How will you see your day today, how will you deal with the many and varied opportunities that will appear before you? Will you even see half of them? I know some of my readers are familiar with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, since I’ve had occasion to talk to you about him before. He was a big name on everyone’s lips when the Beatles first took up with him, and wanted to learn more about his philosophies.
Today, I doubt if you said his name, many would know who you were speaking of. He filled ballrooms, coliseums, everyone one wanted to learn to meditate. It was fashionable. How many meditate today on a daily basis? It is like asking the question, do you pray every day…….. Personal questions, smiles, keep the answer to yourself… but think about it.
We are bombarded daily with the goings on around the world. We all want “change’ in some form or another… How many of you stay away from the word “love” or if you use it, keep it in the “social” general greeting part of your vocabulary. I personally don’t know anyone who has not been touched by “love” in their lives. some have the scars to prove it. (shame the word scar is associated with the word, but there you have it) With love comes pain, one seems to follow the other, like rain follows the sun.. and vice versa.
Make today a different day. Instead of doing the same old thing, be creative and do things to improve your day.
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.