On Pain ... Kahlil Gibran

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity: For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

On Children... Kahlil Gibran

Marianna, Kahlil's Sister. Painting by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you,And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls,For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

***

Dear Kahlil:

This sounds all very good yet so so very hard to attain. When the arrows are twisted they will not fly no matter how hard the archer bends the arch...

The Lovers ... by Pablo Picasso

"Up to the point when they merged, two lovers walked separate paths. Together they create a new path that has no past, where every step moves into the unknown, and no amount of experience can light the way."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate,A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Brother David Steindl-Rast on Happiness...

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.

Walter Anderson on Sadness

“I am responsible. Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.

New Years Resolution!

I want to talk less, think more, and put my feet up in the air just like this photo. By talking less I hope to be more in tune with my universe and more in tune with myself.

On Gratitude... Melody Beattie

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie

On Talking ... Kahlil Gibran

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts;And when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a pastime.And in much of your talking, thinking is half murdered.For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly.

There are those among you who seek the talkative through fear of being alone.The silence of aloneness reveals to their eyes their naked selves and they would escape.And there are those who talk, and without knowledge or forethought reveal a truth which they themselves do not understand.And there are those who have the truth within them, but they tell it not in words.In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells in rhythmic silence.

When you meet your friend on the roadside or in the market place, let the spirit in you move your lips and direct your tongue.Let the voice within your voice speak to the ear of his ear;For his soul will keep the truth of your heart as the taste of the wine is rememberedWhen the colour is forgotten and the vessel is no more.

On pleasure... Kahlil Gibran

Pleasure is a freedom-song, But it is not freedom.It is the blossoming of your desires,But it is not their fruit.It is a depth calling unto a height, But it is not the deep nor the high. It is the caged taking wing,But it is not space encompassed.Ay, in very truth, pleasure is a freedomsong.And I fain would have you sing it with fullness of heart; yet I would not have you lose your hearts in the singing.

Some of your youth seek pleasure as if it were all, and they are judged and rebuked.I would not judge nor rebuke them. I would have them seek.For they shall find pleasure, but not her alone;Seven are her sisters, and the least of them is more beautiful than pleasure.Have you not heard of the man who was digging in the earth for roots and found a treasure?

And some of your elders remember pleasures with regret like wrongs committed in drunkenness.But regret is the beclouding of the mind and not its chastisement.They should remember their pleasures with gratitude, as they would the harvest of a summer.Yet if it comforts them to regret, let them be comforted.

And there are among you those who are neither young to seek nor old to remember;And in their fear of seeking and remembering they shun all pleasures, lest they neglect the spirit or offend against it.But even in their foregoing is their pleasure.And thus they too find a treasure though they dig for roots with quivering hands.But tell me, who is he that can offend the spirit?Shall the nightingale offend the stillness of the night, or the firefly the stars?And shall your flame or your smoke burden the wind?Think you the spirit is a still pool which you can trouble with a staff?

Oftentimes in denying yourself pleasure you do but store the desire in the recesses of your being.Who knows but that which seems omitted today, waits for tomorrow?Even your body knows its heritage and its rightful need and will not be deceived.And your body is the harp of your soul,And it is yours to bring forth sweet music from it or confused sounds.

And now you ask in your heart, "How shall we distinguish that which is good in pleasure from that which is not good?"Go to your fields and your gardens, and you shall learn that it is the pleasure of the bee to gather honey of the flower,But it is also the pleasure of the flower to yield its honey to the bee.For to the bee a flower is a fountain of life,And to the flower a bee is a messenger of love,And to both, bee and flower, the giving and the receiving of pleasure is a need and an ecstasy.

People of Orphalese, be in your pleasures like the flowers and the bees.

On your Children... Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.They come through you but not from you,And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.You may house their bodies but not their souls,For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your childrenas living arrows are sent forth.The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Pain by Kahlil Gibran

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

On Joy and Sorrow by Kahlil Gibran

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.And how else can it be?The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater thar sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."But I say unto you, they are inseparable.Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

Forgive... Today, in this moment, I forgive.

Just thought I would share this thought, especially during this holiday season when we may be resenting someone in our lives. Maybe you can reconsider and let go...

Forgive

Today, in this moment, I forgive.

Great joy and satisfaction come from expressing love, compassion and generosity. Since I cannot fully express these qualities while holding resentment against another, I strengthen my spiritual practice through forgiveness.

I choose to forgive anyone whose actions seemed to cause me pain or fear. I forgive those whom I thought to be adversaries. I forgive family members, friends or coworkers for any perceived failings or mistakes. And I forgive myself. I leave the past where it belongs and create life anew.

Seeing beyond personality, beyond outward appearance to the true divine spirit within myself and others, I release judgment and forgive. Now I can truly love.

DEBORAH... great Andy Warhol like illustration

My best friend did this with my photo. He is doing it for anyone who is interested. I am going to blow this one up at Kinkos and have it properly framed or on a board and put it in my bedroom. Nice. Made me feel special! Do it for a loved one for the holidays or for yourself. You will feel good about the end product. Mario is very good! He had done a few of mine and I always turn out better than Liz Taylor in her better days. Email him from his website at www.mariopierni.com He can also restore old photos and do any photoshoping according to your needs.

La Caja Asadora... only in Miami!

I had to share this with all of you out there. I was going through my junk mail and I found this sale at Navarro Discount Pharmacies. La Caja Asadora... a device used by hyspanics to roast their holiday pig! I have never, ever seen one of these and especially not in a drugstore!

TYPICAL PUERTO RICAN MEDICAL DISORDERS...

TYPICAL PUERTO RICAN MEDICAL DISORDERS (still being studied by the American Medical Association)

Monga: Mysterious body temperature, not high enough to be considered fever, but serious enough to miss school and work. Illness is unknown by the American Medical Association (AMA) and only understood by doctors of Puerto Rican origin.

Patatú: Attack of obscure origin that can strike at any time. Could be serious enough to require hospitalization, yet is undetected by medical technology. Victims tend to be males and females over the age of 50 years.

Sereno: Occurs when someone steps outdoors suddenly at night and is sprinkled by a mysterious substance produced by the night air. There are no physical symptoms and it can only be detected by the Puerto Rican elderly. The effect of having this disease is unknown. Children must not be taken out at night without proper head gear or risk of contamination is certain.

Empache: Digestive disorder which occurs after the consumption of a large Puerto Rican meal.

Cuerpo Corta'o: Frequent and mild condition of unknown etymology. Symptoms include-- but are not limited to-- fatigue, lack of energy and chronic whining.

Moño Para'o: Psychological imbalance of short duration that causes strange mood swings, violent irritating behavior as well as general unpleasantness.

Cocotazo: A clenched hand/closed cripple! Caused by left or right fingers flexed to not quite make a fist with middle finger slightly raised higher than the rest and delivered to a child's head with a quick snap to the wrist (my father's favorite).

Chichón: Elevated cranial protrusion usually caused by the fall after a "patatú". Can also be caused by the sudden or unexpected encounter with a "cocotazo".

Dolor de Hijá: Severe pain endured by Puerto Rican women caused by "Doña Juana", who visits them for every month for a few days.

Mal de Amores: Feelings of extreme happiness and incessant talking about a new sweetheart.

Enchulamiento: Possible mental condition that doesn't allow Puerto Ricans to think straight when they are too "enamora'os" (head over heels).

Churras: Extreme, acid diarrhea that leaves the "exhaust pipe" on fire.

Ventosedá: Term used by old time puertorrican grandmas to describe pain and discomfort caused by flatulence, so bad that gases couldn't come out. This could only be cured by the "sobadora" (some neighbor who specialized in rubbing the belly with oil while reciting prayers to the saints.) These ladies also helped with "empachos".

Would Your Remarry? ... funny!

Subject: Would You Remarry?
.
A husband and wife are sitting quietly in bed reading when the wife looks over at him and asks a bold question.
WIFE: "What would you do if I died? Would you get married again?"
HUSBAND: "Definitely not!"
WIFE: "Why not - don't you like being married?"
HUSBAND: "Of course I do."
WIFE: "Then why wouldn't you remarry?"
HUSBAND: "Okay, I'd get married again."
WIFE: "You would?" (with a hurtful look on her face).
HUSBAND: (makes audible groan).
WIFE: "Would you live in our house?"
HUSBAND: "Sure, it's a great house."
WIFE: "Would you sleep with her in our bed?"
HUSBAND: "Where else would we sleep?"
WIFE: "Would you let her drive my car?"
HUSBAND: "Probably, it is almost new."
WIFE: "Would you replace my pictures with hers?"
HUSBAND: "That would seem like the proper thing to do."
WIFE: "Would she use my golf clubs?"
HUSBAND: "No, she's left-handed."
WIFE: -- silence --
HUSBAND: "Shit."

A moment (morning) of zen!

I found the love of my life and in doing so I am discovering myself. Love is a very serious business and one to be taken lightly but yet seriously, softly and gentle yet hard and stern, yes it is what I have been thinking about all morning a yin and a yang. But then I thought it did not matter whom the yin came from or the yang. We all have strong masculine and feminine sides and the predominant one would determine the yin or the yang not the actual gender.

Temperature in Miami absolutely marvelous at 60 degrees. Oh yes, it is beautiful morning to go walk on the beach and so I did. I took my body to the waters of the Atlantic and felt the wind blowing through my hair. I walked slow but purposely. Life returned to my soul.

Waking up at 5:30 am has its privileges. Your day is so much longer. You write, you exercise, you medidate, and you get it all done by 9 am. The writing sometimes takes longer because of the downloading of photos.

... these boots my yin or my yang?

Two women were walking down Rock Creek Park and discovered that Xmas was approaching fast and that were not feeling the holiday spirit. One said to the other as she bumped her intentionally on the shoulder: "You be my yin and I will be your yang!"

Without saying another word, they understood the struggles between the sexes, salt and sugar, oil and water, the sun and the moon, mars and venus....

This is about the balance that we need in our lives.

In my life the boots will give me balance and a smile. I will take a photo with them on and you tell me if I found my yin and my yang in balance. With this thought I leave you... Find your balance...

My baby is gone... and I miss him!

Anybody out there feel like I feel... Life giveth and life taketh! But there is love and balance in both.