I am so thankful to have lived the life I lived. Most of all I’m grateful for the experiences I have faced, the opportunities and the challenges. All of it. It made me who I am today. My world is filled with love and sunshine, and I appreciate that my now is filled with contentment and quiet joy.
Don’t give up! Keep at it until you accomplish what you’ve started. The key to achieving something is to stick to it. If you are able to continue something from start to finish, you will be sure to accomplish it no matter how difficult the task is.(PL2014.5)
If you work on things with a prayerful heart, there will be many things you can be taught. (2023.18)
I have been reminded how love is an ingredient that never fades, When we live with love in our hearts, life’s lessons, become blessings that enrich our lives.
Oyashikiri
The human mind is good at confusing what can be and usually is a very simple moment. Believe in the power of a love that is true, for it never leaves you.
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. ( PL2020.17)
Bumped into a friend who I had not seen for a long time, yet we are often in the same area/place… we just don’t get to have a one on one. Of course the opening question is always, “how you doing”.. “doing great” was my reply…a voice inside my head asked,,… “is that really the right answer, or is it your polite answer”. Strange I thought, why was my inner voice popping up.. I was doing .. I am doing fine… Soon, I knew why I was being kept “present”… my friend was answering my “how are you?”
It is easy to give an automatic response, it can be “habit”… when we do that, we are not always “present” and hearing what the response is that we are getting from the friend we have just asked the same question to. The moment passes and the opportunity to be there for someone passes with it. Friendships are special, true some are fleeting.. but others last a lifetime… In making each moment one of “value” we never regret “missed opportunities”.
Seems like only yesterday we were welcoming in the year of the Rabbit, soon in another couple of weeks we will be celebrating the arrival of the lunar new year, this year it will be the Dragon who will watch over us. As I reflect on the year that was… I have a lot of happy memories, and a few not so happy, I remind myself that I know sadness because I have lived and known so much happiness,
Pl Precept # 16 All things progress and develop.
Pl Precept # 7 Everything exists in relativity.
Remember how you felt in the beginning Doing the same old thing monotonously without thought will stifle progress. When you get stuck, go back to the beginning and start fresh.
One of my joys, has been sharing with you all.. meeting and learning about life through the eyes of fellow bloggers. Wow. Life is rewarding, I am grateful that in my needing and wanting to share the visual moments in time, of my discoveries, I have gained a global friendship with others who delight in the written and visual art form of creative expression.
A friend baked these in 2020.. I just look at the picture and my mouth waters. I kept the picture because seeing the bread never fails to give me a moment of quiet reflection. The smell of freshly baked bread is such a warm delicious comfort… Might have to stop for a toasted bagel on my way out… yes, good idea..
I listened to a podcast last night, about today’s food, what we purchase at the “store” .. how food has changed since before every home had a refrigerator. When we ate freshly grown vegetables and what was in season. My friend that baked the bread.. is always making something from veggies she has grown in her small garden patch or acquired from market that day. I admire that .. yet… it is just not something I do.
We are all unique and different in how we “live” that is what makes the world such an interesting place … I learned from her about how olive oils are not all the same, and one day at breakfast … she brought out a bottle of oil made at their home in Greece, from olives grown on their land, and bottled there. What a treat!
I am very grateful that I have been blessed with a number of diverse friendships… learning about different ways to enjoy life is “priceless”… Friendships are one of life’s most precious gifts.
A thankful heart leads to happiness. When we really pay attention we are surrounded by many things we can be thankful for, the society we live in, the kindness shown to us by others. You will be able to find true happiness when you can see and appreciate these things,
Perfect Liberty 2015.21
Whatever you decide to do today, enjoy your day, may it be productive and fun…
Oyashikiri
Challah is a special bread of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays
Same area, just weeks apart, drum roll, It is dark in the mornings when I get up, very dark, yesterday when I left it was too dark, today I’ll wait a bit before leaving. I got to the feeders and no one was there to greet me. The sleepy heads heard me and slowly began to arrive, but they were not their chatty selves, there was a lot of grumbling (Ok I might embellish a bit) But they were not their busy busy selves. Bless the little chickadees they were present and greeted me through the grayness of the morning.
Now.. listen up. I have never been a wonton soup fan. In fact I don’t recall ever ordering it in a restaurant. EVER. in Costco the other day, I was getting my shrimp Sui Mi dumplings, and a lady and her friend came to the area and began taking out the wonton soup packages that were displayed beside my Sui Mi. The lady couldn’t say enough about the soup and she and her friend took several boxes. I smiled took my purchase and left. However… the conversation stayed with me.. she had been very enthusiastic. and I love shrimp dumplings. (this wonton soup is filled with shrimp dumplings).
I confess to being at a time in my life where I am not overly keen on making dumplings anymore, or cooking anymore than I have to….. so.. when I went for my top of shrimp dumplings the other day, I took a box of the wonton soup. (6 individual servings per box). I have now gone back and purchased more TWICE because I am having a bowl of wonton soup for breakfast, at lunch and maybe even as a snack later, AND … I bought a box yesterday and already I’ve gone through half of it. Thankfully, I am hoping that this phase will pass. When my husband was still alive, at this time of year he liked the Costco French onion soup .. I never bothered, as I said I was not a soup person. I let him have all the portions. Well…I bought a box of the French onion soup yesterday too. AND its pretty good…….
Tell yourself “things Happen” Even if something is inconvenient, once you accept it you’ll be able to move onto the next step.
Kindness – Yesterday I was blown away by the kindness of friends who wanted to “touch base”, and came by. With the Chinese New year soon to be at our doorstep, I was surprised by a visit from one of my cherished friends that I have not seen much of because of the pandemic .. yes we can chat on the phone, but to get to actually see her and experience her smile and vibrant personality at close range was a true JOY for me. I feel a silent tear slipping down my cheek, but I assure you it is one of happiness.
As you know, I left home with out my cell yesterday, it happens, I am focused on getting the food ready for the crows, feeding the dogs etc. before I leave.. and the cell is not on my mind. This of course means, not only was it not there for me to use when I wanted it, but friends calling me, could not reach me. Knowing I had not had my phone with me, didn’t mean much to me except the inconvenience of not being able to use the camera when I wanted to.
What I didn’t think of, was that family, friends trying to reach me were unable to …. that is not a problem in itself, but eventually one sees the messages and calls back. However, I am of a generation where a phone was not in my life at all, and then when it was, it was attached to the building, and the one setting on it .. was a loud ring if someone called your number. So of course I came home and went about doing my “business” unaware that I had had calls and that there were messages I should be addressing.
I was therefore surprised and delighted early evening to find my niece and nephew at the door with my wild and wonderful dog niece Lily… again there had been a message and I had not responded. Their thoughtfulness, kindness was doubled when Lily came barging in (she is almost 5 months now and probably 50 pounds of furry energy) and took no listen to her “parents” as she charged in wanting to ensure that all was well. Both my dogs, one more senior than the other I think were taken back by such highly charged activity. It was a fun delightful 15- 20 minutes of chasing, hugging and kissing (the puppy and I )
Kindness should never be under estimated or taken for granted. My visitors and callers yesterday, made my day a truly sensational event. I am filled with gratitude that I have family and friends who are such genuine delights. I truly am blessed.
My friend Shirley (whose pictures I often share with you)… lives in NZ, altho’ we have never met in person, we have been in each others lives since very early days. Probably over 50 years. We began as penpals. Yes before internet, when people communicated by writing letters and using stamps. You would wait impatiently for mail to arrive from distant places, to hear news from friends who you corresponded with .. then when the letter arrived you read about what your friend had been doing and saw pictures (yes, black and white or colour) taken with cameras where you had to wait to finish a roll, get the film developed.. and then wait for that service to be provided to get your pictures..) Our friendship has endured. She takes wonderful pictures of her hometown, and her interests, I am blessed with her kindness, she gives me permission to share her world with you (my friends).
Experience the JOY of being KIND to others. The Joy of expressing kindness to others is much greater than when someone does something kind for you. Always strive to be a person who can be kind to others.
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.
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